19 Years Later
by Kennie Barton
Summary: 19 years to the day since Sasuke walked out of the Konoha, Naruto reflects on the past and fears the bad tidings the full moon will surely bring. But this full moon brings good news to the shinobi of Konoha, allowing Naruto to keep his "Once in a Lifetime" promise. Follow a new generation of genin as they embark on their own adventures, beginning with the return of the last Uchiha.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: The Anniversary

It had been a long year, just another one tacked on to the running count in which he remained unable to help his best friend, in which he was not strong enough, was not smart enough, in which he still failed. He did not like it, but there was nothing he could change to help that, nothing at all. He had lost several people during that time, lots of good people, he knew there was nothing he could have done to help them, not with everything that had happened, but he was different. There was still hope him, he could still be helped; but first he had to find him.  
He had been working on it for years, training to be stronger, training to be smarter, he had done everything he could think of to improve himself and find a way to help his best friend. He had searched and searched, and always seemed to be a few steps behind, so close and yet so far away.  
He took a deep breath of the cool night air sitting in one of the upstairs windowsills. Today, tonight, was the anniversary of his departure. The anniversary of everything changing, the day he changed. The next few days would be tough, they were every year, remembering what they had done, what had been accomplished, remembering how it had all amounted to nothing, it had not made any difference. He clenched his fist and banged it on the wooden frame slowly watching the sky fade to blue-black and saw the stars twinkle into view above the rooftops; and the full moon.  
He was so tired of full moons, this was the first time it had been full on this day since he left, since it started, since he learned how powerless he really was. Everything terrible seemed to be happening on the nights hosting a full moon, he feared to think about what would happen this time; the date seemed to be begging for a double dose of bad tidings. He let out a long sigh and gave the window frame one last hit and with one last look at the moon, turned to reenter the house.  
This room was in a terrible condition, dusty and slightly in disarray. He could never seem to keep it in order, the rest of the house was okay, she always kept everything nice and neat, he had tried to in here but he was always coming and going, this one particular room just sort of fell into disarray and he always had to leave on short notice, cleaning up was just left undone; and she did not come in to clean it, she did not want to disrupt what he was doing. He stepped around the clutter to the door and moved quietly down stairs to the front door.  
They would be asleep, his wife and children, well his children at least, she might be working on something still. He made it to the door without a sound slipped on his shoes, he was not just going to sit around this time, he would not let the moon bring in more bad news, if the bad news could not find him until in the morning that would be enough for now. He stood up, opened the door and left, silently closing the door behind him.  
The streets were empty, the buildings were all lit up though, as he walked he could hear people talking, laughing, going on with their lives like nothing had happened, but it had been such a long time ago, most people had moved on; most of friends said it was time for him to do the same. But he could not, he had said he could bring him back, he had given his word and he never went back on his word; never had and he had no intentions on starting now.  
If only he could find that one thing he was missing, get that one clue that took him to where his friend was, not where he had been. It was frustrating and getting more so by the year, but he refused to stop until he had found him and brought him home. There was something that he was just missing, and could not help but hope he was close to finding it, close to getting to his friend and helping him, saving him from himself.  
He stopped in the middle of a side street and looked up at the moon, was he also looking up at the moon? What was he thinking about? Was he thinking about him, about all his old friends? Had he thought about any of them since the brief encounter they had had early on in their separation, back when they were teenagers? Back before the war? Did he want to come back, but was unsure if he would be welcomed? Had he started a family? Had he changed? Had he given up on whatever plans he had been scheming back then? Or had he kept them, planed them better, made them bigger and more elaborate? Where was he now?  
He heard footsteps behind him, he turned quickly to see his wife walking towards him, she was holding her fingers up to her lip and was looking at him with large rounded eyes. He smiled holding his arm out to her; she came in close and nestled against his side; holding his hand and wrapping his arm around her shoulders.  
"Are you thinking about him?" she asked in a small voice. He gave a brief nod.  
"It's the anniversary, another year gone."  
"I know, I've been thinking about it all day." He looked down at her and gave half smile.  
"The moon is full tonight, just like the night he left."  
"I know, it's the first time since then."  
"Maybe it's a sign that we'll finally find him. That we'll get him home, finally." That sounded nice, but that probably would not happen; full moons always harbored bad news, bad things happened, and he would be torn apart again.  
"It's getting late, we should go home," he said quietly hugging her gently; she smiled up at him as they started home.  
They entered the house and walked up to their bedroom, it was getting late and he was due in for a meeting in the morning; they both were. Stretching and yawning they climbed into their bed and went to sleep.

* * *

**A/N I wrote this story back in 2011, and I'm transferring it from the original post site. At the time, the war was just beginning in the weekly releases from Shonen Jump. Some of the details will be incorrect due to the progression of the actual timeline in Naruto by Masashi Kishimoto.  
Other than that, I hope you enjoy!**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: The Report

He missed the mornings when he had to wake the children, where the house was quiet until he woke everyone and sent them off to the academy. Now they were up before dawn and were usually shouting at each other long before he ever wanted to get up.  
"Mom! Tsubaki won't get out of the bathroom!"  
"Mom! Tell Isamu to wait his turn! I'm trying to take a shower!"  
He sat up in his bed throwing the covers aside. She was already up and trying to mediate between the two preteens. "Isamu, I told you already, if Tsubaki gets to the bathroom first, you just have to wait until she's done."  
"But mom, she uses all the hot water, and she always takes forever! I'm gonna be late again!" his son cried banging on the bathroom door. "Dad!"  
He stood up and exited the room to go talk his daughter out of the shower. "Tsubaki, you've got ten minutes. If you're not out by then I'm coming in after you."  
"Dad!" Tsubaki squealed, "I need more time than that!"  
"You're wasting time." He called continuing down the hall for the stairs. As he started down he could hear Isamu banging on the door again, but he ignored it; Tsubaki would hurry if only to ensure her dad did not come run her out of the shower.  
He entered the kitchen and found it in near chaos, apparently the kids had had a skirmish over breakfast, and it had resulted in thrown food. Surprisingly he had not heard it, so they were learning. Maybe one day they would learn to get along again, and the fighting in the house would stop; maybe.  
"Dad!" his son's shouts tore through his daydreaming, "Has it been ten minutes yet?" He sighed and looked around, he did not know how much time had passed, but he had no plans on going up there.  
"I'm done! I'm done!" Tsubaki shouted, he sighed in relief.  
There was a knock at the door, running his fingers through his hair he went to the door and opened it.  
"Naruto," Shikamaru stood at the door he had a tag-a-long, his youngest Hayato.  
"Hey Shikamaru, Hayato." He smiled, "what can I do for you this morning?"  
"A report came in this morning, I think you'll want to see it." Naruto furrowed his brow.  
"I'm supposed to be at the Hokage's office later for a meeting, I can take a look at it then." Shikamaru shook his head holding out a scroll.  
"I don't think you'll want to wait on this one." Naruto reached out and took the scroll; slowly he unrolled it and read through it. A smile snuck to his lips, a gleam filled his eyes. This was it; this was what he had been hoping for, the missing piece he needed. "Told you, you wouldn't want to wait," Shikamaru smiled, Naruto nodded his excitement rising.  
"Thanks for this Shikamaru, this is what I've been looking for."  
"Thought so, listen if Isamu and Tsubaki are ready, they can walk with us; I figure you'll want to talk to Sakura about this." Naruto nodded again.  
"They should just about be ready, come in, I'll go get them." Naruto stood aside to let Shikamaru and Hayato in. He ran up the stairs to find his children fighting at the top of the stairs.  
"That's mine Tsubaki!" Isamu shouted pulling on a shuriken holster held tightly by his elder sister. Tsubaki held on tighter and started pushing her brother away. Isamu grunted and started trying to fight off Tsubaki with his free hand, "It's mine!"  
"No it's not, this one's mine!"  
"It's a shuriken holster, guys," he sighed coming in between the two of them and pulling the holster away.  
"Dad!" they cried in unison.  
"Here," he handed the holster to Isamu. "Tsubaki you left yours down stairs last night. Now hurry and get ready, Shikamaru and Hayato are here and you're walking to the academy with them." Both of them stopped instantly and looked up at him, he had never not walked with them to the academy unless he was on a mission. It was tradition that they all walked together, every morning.  
"What's wrong dad?" Tsubaki asked looking up at him with her huge crystal blue eyes.  
"Nothing, something just came up, I have to talk to your mother."  
"Dad, what is it?"  
"A mission, I'll have to leave right away. I have to get ready for it," he walked between the two of them and started down the hall looking for Sakura.  
She was in their room, sitting on the bed with a book, she read when she was stressing, so she read a lot in the mornings while the children were bickering. She smiled and looked up when he closed the door. "I see you finally got them settled down." She joked closing the book and setting it down on the bed. He walked across the room and handed her the scroll. "What is it?" she asked picking up on his demeanor.  
"Shikamaru brought it. It came in this morning; he thought we'd like to see it." She unrolled the scroll and read through it quickly.  
"Naruto, this, this is what we've been hoping for." She gasped tears welling in her eyes. "We can finally bring Sasuke home."

It felt strange to be in the present company, Sakura, Sai and Kakashi. They had not been together on an extended mission for years and there was no telling if they could still form a working team. But they were going, no matter what kind of problems they might encounter, they were going to get Sasuke.  
They met at the gates within an hour after the report came into the village, all packed and ready to travel to the Mountain Country to a small village where Sasuke had been seen frequently over the past eighteen months. Since he had been in the area for more than a year, they were hoping he would not be moving anytime soon and they could finally detain him. Kakashi was assigned team leader, Sakura was the medical ninja, Sai was a distance fighter and Naruto was a close range fighter. All in all a very well rounded group, perfect for the detainment of the last Uchicha.  
"It's just like old times, don't cha think?" Naruto asked, he could feel a grin creeping across his face.  
"A little too much like old times," Kakashi agreed rubbing the back of his neck, even in his mid-forties he was still a top ranked active ninja, and had trained another cell like Naruto and Sakura's.  
"Oh, don't be like that! This'll be fun!"  
"Naruto, would you care to define fun for us," Sai asked raising one brow at Naruto. Naruto puckered out his lower lip and crossed his arms, falling into his old habit for when his friends taunted him. The rest of the group laughed.  
"Well, let's get going," Sakura said pulling out Naruto's hand and wrapping her hand in his. Naruto grinned squeezing his wife's hand and looked up at Kakashi and Sai; they nodded and together the four of them started off.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: A Feeling of Unease

The road started to rise as it followed the side of the mountain, he continued up at a slower pace looking out over the valley. It was peaceful here, possibly the most peaceful place he had been since he was a child; no this place was better than that place had ever been.  
He could feel the cooling autumn breezes starting, and was beginning to notice the color changes in the leaves and the sky. Everything was starting to grow crisp, two years spent in this country. Fall was upon him again and he was still alone.  
Isolation had been for the best. Continueing on without his "team" had been for the best. There had been no point in keeping them all preoccupied with his vengeance plans, which always seemed to flop and be no good. This was a good place to settle down and try to restart.  
He could not go back, he had burned all those bridges, severed all the ties to his past. He was alone now and he liked it. At least he tried to make himself believe he liked it.  
Sometimes it worked, but then he would be down at the village and see the couples, see the children running around. He saw people living their lives and could never stop himself from thinking about what he could have had if he had listened to them back then. He had been caught up in himself for so long he had let life pass him by. Now he had nothing.  
He would change things, if he could go back, he would change his decisions. He would have stayed in the village; power was not all he had hoped it would be. And the solitude he had sought after for so long was a bit more than he wanted. He would have stuck around and helped the village in the war. He would have settled down and had kids. If he had the chance, he would change everything.  
As he walked up the mountain toward his house all he could think about were the things he would change. Starting back when he was a child, when he left the village, betrayed his friends—that was the part that got to him. As much as he hated to admit it, they had been friends and he had betrayed his friend. That was a mark he could never remove, just as he could never go back to the village. He was a wanted man. He would most likely be incarcerated if he ever showed up at the village, then remain under constant guard in a prison for the rest of his life.  
He continued up the mountain in thought. Before he realized it he was standing before the small one roomed cabin he had found while traveling through the Mountain Country. It was one large open room with a large hearth for cooking and a bed built into the walls, forever connected to the little log structure. There was a stream a short distance away from it and the nearest village was less than an hour's leisurely walk away. It was good enough for him to stay at and live the life of a hermit.  
It had been two years now and he had never told anyone his name.  
He would live out the rest of his life in solitude and always think back on what he could have had. On what could have been. On what should have been. It was a far cry from what he had always planned, but that was beyond his control now.  
The small cabin came into view; soon he would have curling wisps of smoke coming from the rock chimney to fight off the chill. He entered the cabin and sat down the bag of groceries he had gone to the village to pick up. He sighed unpacking, readying himself for another week alone. He was ready for another long week out in the serene forested mountains of his new home.

It took nearly a week to reach the small village where the repot had come from. It was made up of residencies, a small shop that sold goods, both bought and traded by the locals, a tea shop and a boarding house for travelers to stay the night in as they trekked across the small mountainous country. When they entered the village there was no reaction, the children ran through the street playing and the people waved at smiled as they passed.  
They were going to stay at the boarding house while they attempted to gather information on Sasuke. Kakashi wanted them to try to determine his whereabouts first, and see if the villagers knew anything about him. The owner of the boarding house and his wife were very hospitable; showing them up to the two rooms they would be staying in and informing them about the evening meal. The old woman who escorted them up the stairs smiled the whole time.  
After they settled in they met out on the street to break up into pairs and start asking around for news of Sasuke. The report had said he was alone while in the village, but that only meant he had not been seen with someone while here. He could have people in the village, spies set up in case someone from the Hidden Leaf came to get him. He could have a team assembled like he had before, while plotting vengeance against his brother and then against the Hidden Leaf.  
Naruto went with Sai and they settled down at the teashop to talk with the patrons and Sakura was going with Kakashi to the shop to talk with the owner and the locals. They would meet at dusk outside the boarding house to discuss what they had found out and plan their next move.  
Although they had more or less patched up their differences years before, something about being alone with Sai on a mission brought back the sense of unease they had originally shared as teammates; according to Naruto, Sai was still socially awkward. The two sat in awkward silence for nearly an hour listening in on conversations, and then spent several minutes debating how to best start their approach to the locals. Finally they determined to split up and let each do it their own way.  
When they regrouped before heading back to the boarding house both had received numerous accounts of a man fitting Sasuke's description being in and out of the village for the past eighteen months.  
Sakura and Kakashi had slightly better luck learning from the shop owner that a man fitting Sasuke's description came in at the end of each week to buy supplies, and that he lived somewhere in the mountain forests to the north of the town. The fact that the shop owner said that he lived somewhere in the woods made their hopes rise more than anything else they had heard, it meant Sasuke would still be there when they moved to overtake him. After asking around they learned that he only came to the village once a week, usually traded for goods, stayed around long enough to buy his supplies, and then a short visit to the teashop, He always came alone.  
When they met up that night for dinner, they determined to wait a few days in the village and if Sasuke did not come in for supplies during that time they would start combing the forest for his current hideout. They retired early so they would be ready for what the next day would bring.  
Naruto sat beside the window watching the street below the room. It seemed nothing was out of place here, and nothing they had heard that day had suggested that Sasuke had been plotting some devious scheme, he was just here. Did that mean he had given up on his vengeance? Would he surrender peacefully or would he fight them again and flee? Naruto could not stop thinking about it; this was the closest they had come to him since they were teenagers… He was excited that they were so close, and at the same time he was anxious about coming face to face with Sasuke once more.  
"Naruto, are you coming to bed?" He turned around and looked back at Sakura. Was she thinking the same things? Was she feeling the same way about this mission? He smiled briefly and stood up to join her.  
"Sakura, what do you think will happen?" he asked her quietly wrapping her in his arms. Sakura leaned back against his chest, thinking quietly to herself. Naruto leaned down, resting his chin on the top of her head, waiting for her response.  
"I don't know," she responded quietly after a few minutes thought, rubbing Naruto's arms. "I thought I knew him once, but I didn't, and that was when we spent every day together. I don't know what will happen now." She stopped and watched the wall quietly, with a sigh she continued, "it's been so long since we've had any kind of contact with him." She was quiet after that, slowly running her hands up and down his arms. Naruto looked ahead at the wall, she was just as unsure about this as he was.  
Was the whole team feeling this way?


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 3: Team 7

He set out early, with the dawn. Normally he would wait and go to the village later in the day, but for some reason he had awoken strangely early, at least an hour before sun rise; so he decided to just go into the village early. He walked slowly down the wooded trail to the road and continued on a little faster. Something about the day was rushing him, he could feel it but he had no idea why.  
When he entered the village it was just stirring, the shopkeeper was just opening the doors. He approached the shopkeeper with a good-natured smile and wave.  
"You're early!" the elderly man returned with a smile to match his voice.  
"Something woke me early, a feeling of unease, I think." He said coming to stand beside the man.  
"It's probably those strangers that came in a few days back."  
"Strangers, in a village seated on the main trail through the mountains?" he asked teasingly.  
The old man nodded and looked over his shoulder toward the boarding house and lowered his voice, "They've stuck around, and they've been asking questions about, well I'll guess you. They've been hanging round the teashop most every day since they showed up." The old man shook his head looking back to him, "if I were you, I'd get what I need and just head on back home. I'll say you never came, then they might just go back to where they came from."  
"Know where they're from?" he asked entering the store with the man.  
"They've all got shinobi headbands, but they're the alliance headbands from the war." The old man answered taking the basket of goods offered to him for appraisal.  
"That's odd, why would they still be wear the alliance headbands?" he said to himself, the war was long over; those headbands had not been used in close to a decade, why would they suddenly reappear here in the Mountain Country, in this little village?  
Had they found him? Where they coming to take him in? Was this the day he had been dreading since he had abandoned his plans for vengeance against the Hidden Leaf? More importantly, which hidden shinobi village had found his hide-a-way?  
"I don't know, I'm just saying, you best get out of the village before they get up and start looking around again. The whole village said they'd say they haven't seen you this week."  
"Thanks, I'll do that."  
He got what he needed for the next week and left the village without another word to anyone else.

The village was quiet, the villagers were casting suspicious looks at them, and the friendly atmosphere they had received upon arrival had all but evaporated. The team sat in the teashop watching the street, which was for the most part empty.  
"How much longer are going to hang around here before we start combing the mountain?" Naruto asked with an exaggerated sigh leaning over the table.  
"This is around the time the man visits the village. If we don't see him, we'll start combing tomorrow." Kakashi responded quietly, "now be quiet. We don't want people to hear what we're up to." Naruto grumbled something quietly to himself and sat up crossing his arms.  
"The villagers already know something's up," Sakura said watching the street along with the others. "Why else do you think we suddenly received the cold shoulder from everyone here?" Sai nodded his agreement.  
"I believe they mean to protect the man as best they can. He has been here for an extended period of time and they most likely consider him a part of their village."  
"So if it is Sasuke we'll not only have to fight him, but deal with the villagers as well." Kakashi nodded to Naruto's observation.  
"And this person is more likely than not Sasuke."  
"We know its Sasuke, why don't we just go get him?" Naruto whined.  
"We don't want to draw unnecessary attention to ourselves. If we can see him in the village and follow him out then detain him away from the villagers, that's what we need to do." Kakashi advised quietly, then nodded briefly to the pair of elderly women walking down the street, they were the only people they had seen in the past half hour. The women hobbled hurriedly away from them, leaning in close to one another whispering; about them, the whole team knew.  
"I just want to get out of this village," Naruto complained leaning down across the table again. "I don't like being in a village where the people despise me for no good reason."  
The rest of the team sighed, all agreeing with his statement silently, and settling down to wait out the rest of the day, and hopefully, finally, see Sasuke.

After dropping his weekly supplies off at the cabin, against his better judgment he returned to the village. The news that shinobi had come to the remote village intrigued him more than he had liked; who would still be after him? He knew the answer to that one, every shinobi village had a right to be after him, he was in the Bingo Book of every country, he was a missing-nin, a wanted man. But he had been careful, very careful; so who had found him, who had come for him?  
He came in from the back of the town, moving stealthily to get up on a roof and look in on the teashop where the visitors had been watching the village since their arrival. He laid low on the top of the building and looked down at the street; it was empty, strange for this hour. He looked down at the teashop and cursed. The Hidden Leaf was here, they had found him and sent his old team. Naruto, Sakura and even good old Kakashi.  
The shopkeeper's suspicions had been conformed, they were after him. It was good that he had come into the town early, he had a head start on them; he could relocate, wait it out and then come back. He could get a fair distance away before dark, out of the Mountain Country by morning if he traveled all night; spend a week or two in another village, blend in, and when it was safe, come back here.  
But then what, they had already found him here, would they leave spies here?  
Would they come back and check to see if he had returned?  
There was always that possibility, and it was Naruto. Naruto would not want to leave until after they had found him; what would they do when they found he had gone? Would they send the entire village after him, form an new alliance with another village, get all of the surrounding countries to help bring him in, surround him and drag him off to prison?  
He did not want that. He could not let that happen. So what to do? Go down now and confront them, lead them from the village? And then what? Kill them? No.  
He could never kill Kakashi; the Copy-Cat Ninja was too strong, to wise for that. He could not kill Sakura either, she had always had a raw brute strength, she had no doubt trained it now. She would be more dangerous than ever before now. And the other; he did not know much about that man. He had never seen him before, but he looked to be about the same age as them, what skill did he possess? And Naruto, the host of a demon, a sage; and that was when they were teenagers; he was doubtlessly a hundred times stronger now.  
If he confronted them he would lose. But he could not run forever. He had hoped that this would be where he would remain; this was out of the way enough to remain hidden for the rest of his life. He had been wrong, and now he was faced with a choice.  
Fight or flight?  
"Not here, not in the village." He told himself, unconsciously making the decision as he backed away for her perch, "not here." He slipped down to the ground and moved to the back of the store. He needed to lure them out of the village, he needed help from someone, and he knew just who could help him.  
The storekeeper had a grandson; he was about ten or eleven, quiet and kept mostly to himself. He could give a message to the boy and have him deliver it to the shinobi while he slipped out the village to wait for them at a predetermined location, his cabin. He entered the back of the store and waited around until the storekeeper came back. After an initial shock he talked to the old man got a scroll and enlisted the help of the shopkeeper's grandson. He quickly wrote out directions to his little cabin and gave the scroll to the boy with instructions to give it to the gray haired man at the teashop.  
The boy nodded giving him a toothy grin and turned to take the scroll over to Kakashi. Sasuke watched him exit the store and then left out the back and started for his cabin.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: The Reunion

The approach of the boy was surprising, after two days of the cold shoulder, sudden willing contact by a local was nothing short of bizarre. And what the boy brought to them just added to the bizarre moment. He walked up to Kakashi and held out the scroll, he said nothing and after he saw that Kakashi had read the message he walked away, back to the store.  
They had sat there for most of the day, the only odd thing they had seen was the sudden lack of people, no strange new faces nothing to suggest that Sasuke had been in the village, yet this message had arrived telling them that he had seen them and did not want their business to be conducted in the village. It gave directions to the place it said he would be waiting for them, this put a snag in the plan.  
Kakashi's original plan of surrounding him while he was alone was more or less destroyed by this, he could have set up an ambush at this location and that would be the end of it.  
"Should we go?"  
"How do we know this is really from Sasuke?"  
"It could be a trap."  
"A trap? For who? Why?"  
"We won't know anything unless we go."  
"But if we go we could be walking to a trap."  
Naruto slammed his palms down on the table and stood up looking down on each of them. "We didn't come all this way to sit here! This message is from Sasuke, and if we don't move now we might lose him again! I'm going, who's coming with me?" The other three looked around at one another and back to Naruto. Naruto's hands formed fists as he looked around at them, would none of them come to do what they had set out to accomplish? "Fine, I'll go by myself." He took the scroll from the table and left them sitting there.  
He was not just going to sit around. He refused to let Sasuke get away again.  
The directions they had been given led Naruto into the mountains heading north, and then east straight up the mountain off the main road. He ran the whole way, pausing long enough to make sure he was still on the right path until he came to a small log cabin. He stopped just outside of the clearing around the cabin looking in at the rough timber building to see if a trap had been set, if there was an ambush ready for the next person to enter the clearing.  
Shortly after his arrival the door of the cabin opened, and a man shrouded in a cloak exited. Naruto's breath caught in his throat, had he walked into a trap as the others feared? The man stopped just outside of the building and stood looking down the road, right past Naruto.  
"I know you are here, Naruto." The voice called out beneath the cowl of the cloak. "There is nothing to worry about, I am alone." Naruto breathed a sigh of relief and stepped out into the road.  
They met in the middle of the clearing, standing face to face in peace for the first time in nineteen years.  
"I can't believe I found him," a running thought fought through and escaped through the lips and moved like a breath of wind around him. It surrounded him like cool water and flooded him with emotions; joy, hate, and anger.  
Naruto wanted to wrap Sasuke, his best friend, in a hug and punch him, and tackle him to the ground, at the same time; knowing the man before him had earned both. Naruto's breath started to quicken and he felt his heart start racing, and in the blink of an eye, Naruto's fist connected with Sasuke's face, hitting him on the left cheek, it felt good. He then watched his friend fall to the ground.  
"What the hell?" Sasuke asked from the ground. Naruto reached out and grabbed his friend's arm and pulled him into an embrace.  
"I can't believe I found you." He let the words escape again and felt tears well in his eyes and start a slow crawl down his cheeks. "I can't believe it."

He was not entirely sure how Sakura would react when he came into the village with Sasuke. He was fairly certain she would punch him for running off like he had, hit him again for worrying her, hug him because he came back safe, and then possibly another punch, or several, as a reminder not to do something like that again. The closer they got to the village the more nervous Naruto became about his wife's reactions. Sasuke walked beside him watching him sink farther and farther into himself, not sure of the cause for this and not knowing if it would affect him as well.  
When they entered the village, Sasuke covered his face and sunk down into himself so that the villagers would not know it was him and fight would not break out against the shinobi from the Hidden Leaf. They entered the boarding house and slipped up to the room Naruto shared with Sakura.  
Naruto slowly opened the door and peaked around the last boundary between him and the possible anger of his teammates. The three of them were gathered in the room, Sakura on the bed, Sai and Kakashi on either side of the single window, watching the door with stoic faces.  
Naruto gulped opening the door fully and stepped in ahead of Sasuke. He could see their anger, each about to start chewing him out; Sakura beat the two men to the chase, her brow furrowed and pointed, her lips thin and set in a frown. Her mouth opened, it was about to start, but suddenly she stopped, her forehead relaxed and her mouth fell open slightly, all traces of her anger vanished.  
Naruto closed the door and waited quietly for someone to say something. What would they do? How would they react to Sasuke's appearance? What were they thinking, planning? What did happen hardly came as a complete surprise, he had been anticipating it on the walk into the village, but when her anger subsided after his arrival he did not think it would actually happen; Sakura crossed the room and hit him, punched him and then buried her face into his chest. He wrapped his arms around her, and looked up at Kakashi and Sai.  
Sai had never known Sasuke, he had just heard about the man from the Naruto and the others. And now here he was, as far as he could tell peacefully. What to do now? Approach him, introduce himself? It was like when he had first been brought from Root to watch of Naruto, he had no idea how to continue.  
How had Naruto done it? Thinking back on what Sai knew of Naruto, he would have done something physical to release his built up frustration, which he had seen when Naruto left the teashop. But then what? Maybe he should just left Kakashi go first, yes that was it, just let Kakashi go first and follow his lead. Kakashi was more level headed that Naruto after all.  
Kakashi watched his three students, reunited after near two decades of separation. It was pretty much like it had been before, except Sasuke was the one left out instead of Naruto. But what had happened between Sasuke and Naruto, it was almost like Sasuke was not there. But Sakura was a force to be reckoned with; just dropping her could end badly for Naruto. What had happened, had Sasuke given up, did he plan on returning with them to the village? Probably since he was here, but was there more to this than just his surrender?  
Was anyone going to speak? Was he going to have to start? Sasuke looked around the room, ending with Naruto holding Sakura. No doubt there was something going on there, something he had missed out on in his isolation. They probably had families, children, advanced to jonin level or higher, earned honors fighting in the war; they were living. And yet, they had still come after him, they still thought he was worth coming for; even though he disagreed. They had never given up on them, what fools.  
"Well Naruto, it looks like you kept your promise." Kakashi said stepping away from the wall. "Now Sasuke, if you're ready we can all go home."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Isamu and Tsubaki

"Paperwork, paperwork and more paperwork! As if I already didn't have enough to do, whose idea was this?"  
"M'lady, please! If you would just do the work as the papers came in, there wouldn't be such a build up." Shizune spoke around a huge stack of papers.  
Tsunade grumbled something in response signing the papers on her desk. She had been the Hokage during the pain attack, during the rebuilding of the village and the war; and she still hated the office responsibilities of the title. And she still put them off for as long as Shizune would allow it.  
A knock on the door stopped Shizune's next comment. "Enter!"  
"Lady Hokage, a message just came from Team Kakashi. They have apprehended Uchiha Sasuke, and are returning to the village."  
"Excellent!" Tsunade slapped her hands down on the desk and stood. "Let's begin the welcoming party, and I want it big!" she skirted around the desk and rushed past Shizune to the door.  
"M'lady, wait!" Shizune called spinning around trying to find a place to set the towering papers, "Lady Tsunade!"

"I heard a message came in late last night, saying a team found one of the most sought after missing-nins in any Bingo book. He was caught yesterday afternoon." Tsubaki said as she and Isamu walked to the Academy.  
"How could you hear that? You were at home all night." Isamu said disbelievingly.  
"Unlike you, I have friends," Tsubaki started smugly.  
"I have friends!" Isamu shouted in protest, his sister laughed.  
"Well, my friends didn't want to be missing information this morning, because they told me. Kohaku came by while you were sleeping in. She said the Lady Fifth was out in a bar all night dinking and celebrating. Some guy they've been after for almost twenty years, apparently finally gave up. There's gonna be a huge party when the team that caught him gets back."  
"Did they say what team it was?"  
"Nope, I don't think anyone knows which team found whoever it was; but we'll know in a few days." Tsubaki smiled and ran ahead of her brother down the street. Isamu looked after her for a second before running after.  
"Are you making this up? Tsubaki!"

The Academy was buzzing with excitement, students and instructors alike where talking about the Fifth Hokage's nighttime celebration. The instructors seemed to have more information about why the Hokage was celebrating, but they kept the details to themselves. It was a secretive affair apparently.  
Isamu did not like that, but at least it had confirmed what Tsubaki had said, which he liked even less. He wanted to know what had happened, who they had found, and why was it a cause for a village wide celebration? He sat grudgingly at his desk beside his best friend Hideaki, who was discussing whatever had happened with their other best friend Kiku.  
"I just wish I knew who Kakashi got," Kiku whined tapping her fingers on the desk. "My Daddy said it was someone in the Bingo Book, but he wouldn't say who."  
"My Mom said he use to live here in the village, but she wouldn't go any farther than that," Hideaki spoke looking back and forth between Kiku and Isamu. "And she said I'd just have to wait until the squad got home to find out."  
"My parents are both off on assignment," Isamu sighed and leaned farther over the desk, "so they haven't said anything."  
"When are they coming back anyway?" Kiku leaned across Hideaki to be right next to Isamu as she asked the question. Isamu leaned slightly away from his friend in hopes she would give some space back to Hideaki.  
"I don't know. I don't even know where they went. Dad sent me and Tsubaki off with Shikamaru and Hayato one morning two weeks ago; and when we got home they were gone."  
"So you don't know anything about where they are or what they're doing?" Isamu shook his head staring down at his desk. "It must suck to have both parents be active shinobi," Kiku slid back into her own seat shaking her head. "I don't think I could live like that."  
"It's not so bad once you get past that fact that you never know who'll be home. Sometimes it's a good thing."  
"How?" Hideaki asked leaning in closer to Isamu.  
"The past five times the grade cards have gone home; I've had three whole days, at least, to get a good story in line for bad marks."  
"Lucky," Kiku breathed. Hideaki shot her a nasty, scolding, look. "Not that you need it, since you always have good marks." She tried to cover hastily.  
"It's not lucky, neither of his parents could come back; then where would he be?"  
"With his sister, and his grandparents, or with Hayato, or that kid in Tsubaki's class with the dogs; one of the clan heads is close to his parents," she whispered the last part like it was a big secret that Isamu's parents were close friends to the Inuzuka Clan. "He could probably even go live with the Lady Fifth, since she and his parents are so close."  
"It's not gonna happen, my parents are the best; nothing's going to happen to either of them."  
It seemed like they had this conversation a lot, more often when both his parents where gone for more than a week. In general they talked about it about twice a month. He had told them nothing would happen, and each time he believed himself a little less than the last time.  
He had thought to talk with Tsubaki about it, but determined she would just make fun of him for being stupid. And he tried to avoid putting bad thoughts in his parents minds, they could be called on missions at anytime; he did not want to add any stress to their lives.  
"You know, I've been thinking about taking the graduation exam this time." Kiku said later that day during their lunch break, watching the clouds roll over their favorite lunch spot.  
"Kiku, you have to be competent to take the graduation exams." Hideaki remarked eating the last of the rice balls his mother had packed him for lunch. Kiku mouthed something jerking her head side to side in a mocking fashion.  
"We are competent, aren't we Isamu," she asked hooking her arm through his and pulling him closer to her; Hideaki scoffed.  
"Him maybe, but not you."  
"I can do stuff! I mastered that jutsu thingy your dad showed us last month," she said turning on Isamu. "And that's supposed to be really hard to do."  
"It was just chakra control, everybody has to do that." Kiku's face fell slightly as she released Isamu quickly and scooted away from him pouting. "Kiku, come on; everyone has to do it." Isamu said apologetically.  
"I thought it was an awesome new jutsu." She pouted.  
"Well it is, who else in our class can circle chakra inside a balloon?"  
Kiku sat quietly, her lips twitching and her nose wrinkling; finally she smiled. "No one I guess," she admitted and then looked back over at Hideaki and her brow furrowed. "I'm gonna take the test this time, I want you two to too, so we can be on a team together." Hideaki and Isamu shared a brief glance at each other and then turned to Kiku. "Cause to be honest, I don't want to be a ninja if you two aren't in my genin squad."

"Tsubaki, I think I'm going to cut my hair off, look like a guy." Kohaku said pulling all of her hair back from her face. Tsubaki rolled her eyes, picked up a magazine and starting flipping through the pages. "I'm serious Tsubaki, I hate my hair. The day I graduate from the Academy, I'm cutting I all off."  
They had stopped by their favorite newsstand after classes; the night before the village wide celebration. Tsubaki was trying to avoid the empty house she inhabited with her brother; it was not that she was trying avoid Isamu, she just had a habit of avoiding the house when her parents were gone. And she tried really hard to hide that fact. She hoped at least one of her parent's missions would be over soon, so she could go back to hanging out around the house, and stop listening to Kohaku talk about cutting her hair off, for what felt like the billionth time.  
"Kohaku, you've said you're going to cut your hair off at every milestone in your life; you still haven't cut it, so why would this be any different?"  
Kohaku wrinkled her brow, released her long dark brown hair and grabbed the edge of the magazine Tsubaki was flipping trough and yanked it from her hands. "Because when we graduate we'll finally be kunoichi." She said looking Tsubaki in the eye.  
"Fine, whatever," Tubaki shrugged. "Hey, do you think your mom will mind if I drop by tonight to eat?" Kohaku shrugged and started flipping through the magazine she had taken from her friend.  
"What tired of your brother's company?" she asked jokingly.  
"I'm tired of Ichiraku," Tsubaki pulled out a new magazine to look through.  
Tsubaki and Kohaku had been friends for as long as either of them could remember, and were close enough to call the other a sister, but they never saw eye to eye on anything. Kohaku was excited for graduation so she could start her life, as she said all the time. Tsubaki was unsure if she ever wanted to graduate; that would mean she would be held responsible, and would be—she was not sure she was ready be a kunoichi. Isamu seemed ready, but he always seemed ready for anything, not like her.  
"I thought you loved that place, you go there with your dad all the time." Kohaku closed the magazine and put it back on the stand, Tsubaki closed hers as well and put in down.  
"I like it with dad; it's our place, you know. But he's been gone for almost three weeks now. He's never been gone that long before, what if something happened to him?"  
"Tsubaki, your dad is like, one of the top elite, I'm sure he's fine," Kohaku brushed the matter away with a wave of her hand. "Besides he's probably with your mom; and she's the most leveled headed person I know."  
Tsubaki sighed, blowing her bangs out of her face; agreeing with Kohaku that everything was more than likely fine and she was worrying over nothing.  
But she could not help but wonder; what if something had happened?


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: The Festival

Classes were canceled the day the team returned, a huge festival was being set up all morning long and the academy students were "asked" to help, in reality it was required to make sure everything was set up before noon when the team was due to arrive. The Hokage was giving out instructions and was yelling when things failed to meet her expectations, she said everything had to be perfect for their return.  
Just before noon she called for Tsubaki and Isamu. They meet her at the gate, and stood as close to her as they dared. They had known the Hokage on a "close person basis" their whole lives, but she was still Hokage; and she was intimidating. She said they would want to be at the gate, but never said why. Both held fears that the reason for their presence at the gate was bad; but were too afraid of the Hokage's reaction should they voice their fears.  
She stood in the center of the gate with her arms crossed waiting for whatever was coming. Isamu and Tsubaki stood together against the side of the gate watching out of the gate. How much longer until whoever was coming came? And why did the Hokage want them there to see them coming in?

Excitement rose as the gate came into view, once he made it through that gate, his promise would be fulfilled, after nineteen years Sasuke would finally be home. They traveled with Kakashi and Sai leading, Sasuke behind them between Naruto and Sakura, and as the gate came into view, they heard Sasuke's sharp gasp at the sight.  
It was larger and grander than it had been before the war, a standing proclamation that the Hidden Leaf was still strong, still a power in the Lands; and it said just that and more with wide gates that swung outward, large iron supports that fell down to reinforce the wooden gates which were as thick as three men abreast. The wall itself was seven men thick, much bigger than it had been when Sasuke left.  
When they just about reached the gate they saw the three figures waiting for them, the Lady Fifth and two children. One with deep red hair and the other with bright yellow, they were off to the side, keeping distance away from the Hokage. Sakura's face lit up at the sight of those two. When they saw who was approaching the pair jumped and came in close to Tsunade; the Hokage smiled and nodded, and the children's grins stretched ear to ear just like their father's as they rushed forward to meet the team.  
Isamu wrapped his arms around Sakura, the red of his hair blending into Sakura's shirt. Tsubaki leapt into her father's embrace, burying her head in her father's chest. Naruto and Sakura smiled and held their children close; glad to be home safe again.  
"Dad, I was worried something had happened to you. You were gone for so long," Tsubaki said wiping tears off her cheeks; Isamu nodded his head, still holding tightly to Sakura's waste.  
"No one knew where you had gone, they wouldn't tell us anything. And then the Lady Fifth called us to the gate to wait; I thought something terrible had happened." Isamu said looking up between his parents.  
"Welcome home," Tsunade interrupted the reunion with a broad smile, making herself look several years younger. Naruto grinned looking back at Sasuke, "Now, let the Festival begin!"

"I tell you what Naruto, those two are brave." Kiba said handing Naruto a mug with a grin. "No one knew for certain where you were, if you were together, or what you were doing. No one knew a thing until the report came in that you had Sasuke and where bringing him back to the Village, and those kids of yours never let it show that they were worried, you would think both of you in that house if you had seen them."  
"They're good kids, strong like Sakura."  
"And fool like you," Shikamaru laughed. "They both signed up to take the graduation exams this time around."  
Naruto lowered his mug looking wide-eyed at Shikamaru, "Both of them?" Shikamaru nodded chuckling.  
"I was shocked that Isamu is, but Kiku is on the list too; she most likely talked him into it and Hideaki too."  
"Do you think they're ready?"  
"They're strong, if a bit fool-hardy. But everyone is at that age."  
Naruto smiled shaking his head, it was like his was missing them growing up. Both of them were taking the graduation exam. They would be assigned a jonin team leader, they would start on missions; he would see them less and less until they were gone completely. "It seems like I missed so much," he sighed.

"Sakura, I can't believe how big Tsubaki's gotten; it won't be long now before she graduates and becomes a charming kunoichi." The old woman patted the top of Tsubaki's head, smiling sweetly at Sakura like Tsubaki was not there. "Seems like only yesterday she was a little thing, toddling after your skirts with her little doll in tow," Tsubaki twisted her face around carefully, making sure not to let on that she hated being talked about like she was a baby. Sakura smiled at the woman and started talking to her about something that Tsubaki could hardly care less about.  
Tsubaki started to slow as the two women walked down the street until she was had a good distance between to them and then decided to do what she wanted. And what she wanted was to see that man her parents had brought in. He looked like the kid from the picture in her parent's room, the only Uchiha to have survived the massacre back during the reign of the third Hokage; but that could not be him. Well it could, and she was going to find out for sure.  
She moved quickly through the streets trying to determine where the man had gone. Did he like to drink, should she check those places or forget about them? Would he be with someone, one of her parent's friends? What would he be doing? She peered around corners to make sure she did not run into someone who would want to talk to her about anything; especially Kohaku, she could not take listening to Kohaku complain about anything that day.  
She walked around one corner and thought she had been caught. The dark headed girl looked almost exactly like Kohaku, but the hair was too short, the face too rounded. She breathed a sigh of relief leaning against the wall.  
"Hiding from someone?" Her brother's voice cut through her relief and made her jump, though she was confused by the reaction.  
"No," she snapped back quickly glaring at Isamu.  
"Not what it looks like to me," of course he had Kiku and Hideaki with him, he spent every moment he could with those two.  
"Since Kohaku's not here, I would assume you're hiding from her," Hideaki smiled knowingly at her.  
"Why would I be hiding from Kohaku?"  
"Then you're looking for Kohaku?"  
They had her trapped, if she said she was not looking for Kohaku she'd have to tell them a reason why, they would never leave it at that. And if she said she was looking for her, they'd offer to help, and then she'd be stuck listening to Kohaku prattle on and on about how she hated her hair or some other unimportant thing. "Not exactly," she said looking out over the street to make sure Kohaku had not entered the street while she was talking with Isamu and his friends.  
"Are you looking for the guy?" Isamu asked in a whisper, looking around the in the crowd to see if someone was listening in on them.  
"Are you?" all three gave a quick nod in unison.  
"I want to know who he is."  
"I want to know why he's so important."  
"I think he's a hunk, I just want to get a good look at him," Kiku said rolling her eyes up to the sky and sighing. The other two shook their heads and turned back to Tsubaki.  
"So, are you in or not?" Isamu asked while the other two checked the street again. Tsubaki bit her lower lip looking her brother in the eye; they were looking for the man. They would probably find him a lot faster than she would alone avoiding Kohaku and any of her other her friends.  
"Kohaku's coming down the street," Kiku whispered, turning back to the siblings.  
"Are you in or not?" Tsubaki looked down the street to where Kiku had seen Kohaku, she was alone. If Kohaku found her now she would never be able to get away from her. Tsubaki chewed on her bottom lip and gave a quick nod. With a smile her brother led the way down one of the smaller side streets.

The village was a lot different than it had been when he had last been there. Bigger, sturdier, more magnificent than it had been before the war; and there was probably more that he would never see. He was at a loss for words looking around the streets, standing aside to let children pass him, children that knew nothing of hardships; smiling at the older, people he should have grown up with; people who might have once been his friend but he was too stubborn to see it.  
Naruto had said he had something to check up on and would see him later, and disappeared with the little girl that had met him at the gate. Sakura had said the same thing, walking off with the boy who had attached himself to her waste, that had been about three hours ago. The Hokage had spent an hour with him, discussing the terms of his surrender to Konoha before she had acquainted herself to a bottle of sake and the man who was serving it; so he was alone wandering around until he finally came across a familiar name, Ichiraku Ramen.  
It was not just a bar anymore, and Sasuke settled down at a table and watched the festivities with quiet reserve.  
"I know I saw him," a girl with dark hair said coming into view out on the street.  
"I think you're seeing things, no one else saw him." The boy who had hung to Sakura said, coming into view along with the girl who had greeted Naruto and a boy with silvery hair.  
"I know I saw him," The dark haired girl whined looking frantically around the street. Sasuke smiled to himself, those four sounded like he had with Naruto and Sakura after they had become genin.  
"Well I don't see him," the silver haired boy huffed.  
"Maybe he went down a side street, or he went in a shop."  
"Tsubaki, don't tell me you believe her." The silver said crossing his arms. "Isamu, what do you think?"  
The red head, Isamu, was looking at the door of the shop holding his stomach. The other three looked over at the boy and then at the shop, the silver started shaking his head and muttered something to the smaller girl.  
"Isamu, we don't have time to eat," the blonde said taking hold the boy's arm, he pulled away from her.  
"I'm hungry!" he protested looking at the blonde with a look that matched an expression Sasuke had seen on Naruto's face more times than he could count.  
Sasuke's smile faltered a little, the boy was Saukra's; he had red hair, he had clung to her at the gate. But his expressions were like Naruto's. They could not be together, Sakura had hated Naruto, she had said he was the most annoying person she knew.  
The blonde returned with a look that closely resembled Sakura when she was angry. "Fine, we'll eat. But that's it until we find him." The boy's face lit up, along with the dark haired girl's. The other two sighed and entered shaking their heads.  
"Well if it isn't my favorite customers!" Ayame greeted them with her broad smile. Isamu and Kiku grinned sitting down at a table.  
"I don't understand how you can be hungry at a time like this," Tsubaki shot across the table at her brother.  
"A time like what; the festival?" he retorted.  
"I love festivals; it means we can eat as much of whatever we want, and our parents won't get mad at us." Kiku grinned pulling out bits of something from her pocket.  
"If all you two care about is food we'll never find him; ever." Hideaki said pointedly at the pair across the table. "And it won't be long before my mom comes looking for me so I can eat with her and dad."  
"Boo-who, we'll be lucky if our parents even remember we're here before tomorrow morning. They'll be celebrating being celebrated for catching this guy and bringing him in." Tsubaki moaned leaning over the table. "We saw them for all of half an hour together, before Dad went off and mom started doing mom things."  
"You know if we hang around here, dad'll be in soon enough and he'll probably be with mom, and maybe the guy too. And then we can be all happy and whatever." Isamu said brushing it aside like it was nothing. He was never worried his parents would forget them; their parents loved them more than anything else in the world. Tsubaki on the other hand was in the middle of her preteen "hate the world and people who cares about her" stage, and truly believed that her parents would completely ignore her all day if she did not complain loudly when she saw them and wanted the attention.  
Tsubaki rolled her eyes at Ismau and propped her head up on her hands started looking around the room. That was when she saw him, the guy who had come in with her parents; he was sitting alone at a table in the corner. And he was looking at them.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: The Last Uchiha

Tsubaki quickly looked away from the man to her brother, dropping her hand onto the table loud enough to get the other's attention, but not to disrupt any of the other customers. The other three looked up from what they had been doing at her, Tsubaki leaned in and whispered, "I found him, and he's watching us."  
The others jerked around quickly looking for him, Tsubaki shushed them with another slap on the table and drew them in close to her again. "Are you nuts, that'll give us away," she hissed glaring around at the others.  
"It's not like we were hiding," Hideaki responded, "and we've been talking about it, so he's bound to have heard us."  
"Oh, I can't believe his here and I missed him!" Kiku whined trying to get her head up so she could see him.  
"Well, now what? We found him," Isamu said straining to hold Kiku down while they discussed their next move.  
"I say we talk to him, we've been looking for him all day."  
"Do we just walk up to him and start talking to him?"  
"Mind if I join you?" They turned slowly to see the man standing at the end of the table, and a cold chill ran down their spines looking up at the face of the man. Looking at him there was no doubt in Tsubaki's mind, he was the boy from the photo; he was Sasuke Uchiha. Tsubaki nodded and scooted down to make room for him, receiving an enraged glare for Kiku.  
They were suddenly silent, everything had been doing had stopped like when a parent catches a child in the middle of misbehaving. Their faces were stoic except for the one with dark brown or black hair, she was glaring at the girl who he had sat by, but everyone else was looking at him. He smiled at them pleasantly, trying to determine how to best talk to them.  
Introduce himself, ask their names? Would that seem forward? But they had been looking for him, so should they start the conversation? Or had they been looking for someone else, and now he had made this awkward? Should he excuse himself and go back to waiting for Naruto to find him? Or would Naruto be joining them, at least one of them was Naruto's child? He determined he'd just go ahead and start when the blonde child started.  
"You're an Uchiha, aren't you?" He nodded grimly to the blonde's question.  
"The last one, the one who survived the massacre and then joined Orochimaru and plotted to destroy the village," the silver haired one asked, he frowned at the boy, but nodded just the same.  
"Wow," the red head whispered, "And you fought with my dad, before the war, and during?"  
"If you're father is Uzumaki Naruto, then yes." He said feeling a twinge of pain; he had missed out on something.  
"Sasuke!" the entire table turned to see Naruto enter; he was grinning ear to ear. Two of the children grinned and waved him over, the other two smiled. The children sitting across from him moved over to allow room for Naruto, who sat down rubbing the top of his son's head. The boy's face contorted a little, but his smile remained just the same. "I see you've found my children and their friends," he said waving at the owner and smiling, "or have they found you?"  
"We stumbled into each other looking for a place to eat." He responded forcing a smile. Why was he forcing the smile? He was happy here, wasn't he? This was what he had wanted, to return and live; to settle down and have what Naruto had. But Naruto had something, he had children a family; with Sakura. He felt his throat go dry, was that it; was the reason for his unease the fact that Naruto was with Sakura, and they had a family? Or was it that he was simply alone at a table filled with comrades, isolated because of something he had decided and chosen to do?  
"I'll bet they've badgered you with questions? Especially this one," he indicated the sliver.  
"It wasn't only me," he defended indignantly crossing his arms. "And I only got to ask one question."  
"But you asked a long question," the dark haired girl held the last syllable of "long" to emphasize her point.  
The other boy huffed at her and sunk down in his seat. "It was still only one question," Sasuke heard him grumble as he crossed his arms. Naruto laughed at the boy along with the other children.  
"So have you children been enjoying the festival?"  
The children all started talking at once, talking of all the things they had done since the festival began and what they planned on doing later. Naruto listened to each of them, smiling at their adventures of the day. Sasuke could feel a wave of envy building, watching Naruto interact with the children, watching their smiles and bright expressions seeing him. They had grown silent when he had tried talking to them, and they asked painfully obvious questions of him when they finally did talk. Why was their reaction to him so different than it was to Naruto? He knew why, they knew Naruto. They liked Naruto. Naruto was not a stranger to them; not like him.  
"Sasuke, you've hardly said anything," Naruto pulled him away from the anger, he needed to learn to stay away from it; it was like a toxin that was killing him slowly. He found a smile and put it on.  
"I was just listening to them, I would hate to be rude. I am a guest among friends."  
Naruto laughed, "You are not a guest, you are friend at this table." The children all turned to look at him. "I guess they haven't introduced themselves; they can forget their manners some times." The children gave sheepish grins, none as big at the red head, who once again looked exactly like Naruto.  
Naruto laid his hand on the red head's shoulder, "This is my son Isamu," the boy's grin grew a little wider making it almost too big to fit on his rounded face. "The girl next to him is Kiku Umino." Kiku smiled at him sweetly, she had rarely taken her eyes off him since he joined the table. "Next to you is my oldest, Tsubaki. And beside her is Hideaki Seto," the boy rose up a little in his seat and smiled at him.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Sakura

Sakura sat at the teashop where she was supposed to meet Naruto and sighed. He was late again, no doubt off with Shikamaru and the others reveling in the fact that after nineteen years he was finally able to keep his "Once in a Lifetime" promise. They were probably making fun of the fact it took him so long, but Naruto would be enjoying himself just the same. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves except for her.  
She leaned forward propping her head in the palms of her hands looking out at the street. People talked and laughed; most of them not even knowing the real reason for the festival, while she was part of the team that had brought Sasuke back and she was alone. She had meant to find Sasuke, but she had looked everywhere and he was nowhere to be found. She had also meant to find Tsubaki and Isamu, see how they had been while she was gone; but they were just as elusive as Sasuke. And now Naruto was missing too.  
"Maybe I should go look for him," she thought aloud watching a group of children run down the street shrieking in delight.  
"Who, Isamu or Naruto," she turned to see Ino smiling down at her, "or maybe Sasuke?" Sakura smiled to herself and laughed quietly.  
"All three, I haven't any of them for a few hours." She responded sliding over to make room for Ino to sit next to her. Smiling Ino complied.  
"Well, if it's any conciliation, I haven't seen anyone since this started either," she shrugged sighing. "I guess if they wanted us, they would come find us."  
"I don't think I want to settle for that," Sakura smiled looking over at Ino, "I've hardly seen my kids since I got back, and they're probably stuffing their faces with festival food as we speak, not caring one bit about what either of their parents are doing."  
"I wouldn't be so sure. Tsubaki ate over at our house most every day, and Isamu was with his friends for as long as possible." Ino shook her head. "I asked Tsubaki why she didn't go home. She wouldn't tell me anything, but I think she doesn't like being at the house without you or Naruto." Sakura sat up looking at Ino like she, Ino, had just revealed her deepest darkest secret to the world. "It just started recently too," Ino continued looking up at the sky, "I think it was right after that mission you two went on, that went bad, and you both went missing."  
Sakura sighed sinking down into herself. She remembered that mission. They had been sent to the far north; and a week in ran into trouble. Things progressed to something short of an all-out war before the team was able to detach themselves. By the time the team returned home, they were close to a month overdue, and Anbu had been sent to retrieve bodies.  
They never talked about it. Thinking back Sakura could not recall ever talking to Tsubaki and Isamu about that mission and the dangers they had faced; or the fact that they might not come home from missions. They knew, they were in the Academy training to be shinobi after all, they knew the risks. But she had never paused to think about how it was affecting them, the uncertainty of their parent's careers, the worry if they would ever seen their parents again.  
"I had never thought about that," Sakura breathed. Ino shrugged.  
"I don't think any of us really thought about that when we had kids, Sakura. And I think they all suffer from it. But you and Naruto are assigned missions all the time; and a lot of them are extended missions."  
"And it doesn't help that we're usually assigned together; that leaves them alone a lot." Sakura sighed again, guilt swelling in her chest.  
"They're never alone Sakura, you know what they say: it takes a village to raise a child." Sakura smiled at the comforting thought. "So whatever they've gotten into, trust me Sakura, they're thinking about you and Naruto." Ino smiled at Sakura and grabbed her hand. "Now come on, it's a festival; we're celebrating!"

Sakura walked into Ichiraku only half expecting to find any of her family sitting there; but there they were, grinning and waving her over along with Kiku and Hideaki, and surprisingly Sasuke. The table was fairly crowded but they made room for her anyway.  
"So, you really did fight Itachi right before he died?" Hideaki asked, continuing with the conversation. Grimly Sasuke nodded, Sakura could feel that he was not enjoying all the attention he was getting about his past.  
Conversation paused after that question, all of the children were looking up at Sasuke and Naruto was stuffing his face, either completely oblivious to how Sasuke was feeling, or choosing to ignore it.  
How was Sasuke really feeling, was he glad to be back in the village? Was he happy to be back home, back where he belonged? Did he feel like he belonged here? It had been nineteen years, and nothing is the same, the entire village has been rebuilt. Nothing was close to what he remembered. None of the Uchiha complex had been rebuilt, it was like that place never existed now; would he find insult in that? Or would he be glad that that part of his history was gone, so he would never have to look at it again?  
Did he still belong here?  
"So are you staying in the village now?" Tsubaki asked after several minutes of silence. "I mean that would be so cool, the Last of the Uchiha living in our Village, and then the clan could be brought back and,"  
"Tsubaki!" Based on Naruto's reaction he was just ignoring how awkward Sasuke was acting. "That's enough; it's his personal business." Tsubaki twisted her face slightly in guilt and embarrassment at being called out on her behavior.  
"It's alright Naruto," Sasuke spoke, earning gasps from the four children. Sakura could only assume his responses had been motions and this was one of the few times he had spoken. "I plan on staying in the village. I've grown tired of moving around so much. I want to settle down, get back into a routine, see if the Hokage will let be become a Hidden Leaf Shinobi once again—If I can manage to earn her trust."  
"I'm sure Granny Tsunade will, she'll probably even let you go on missions with me and Sakura," Naruto grinned going back to his bowl. "I mean, you're not rogue anymore, you came back."  
Reading Sasuke's face, Sakura could not tell if he was happy or not about what Naruto had said. He was still as impassive as ever, and this time Sakura knew she had no chance of getting through to him. What was he thinking now?  
"So do you know where you're staying tonight?" Sakura asked in an attempt to end the silence.  
"He's staying with us Sakura," Naruto spoke instantly, giving her a look that left no room for argument.  
"I would hate to impose," Sasuke gave a forced smile, she could see him straining like he had not smiled in years.  
"I'm not having it any other way. You're staying with us until you get a place to stay and some income." Naruto turned a look on Sasuke that left no room for argument.  
Sasuke smiled again, a little less forced. Sakura sighed standing up.  
She walked around the table to Naruto and pulled his half eaten bowl away from him, took his hand and pulled him to his feet. "Well, since you insist on him staying at the house with us; you get to clean the extra room you've occupied."  
"But, Sakura, it's a festival. I'm supposed to meet the guys later, they want to see Sasuke—and he doesn't know his way around the village—It's been so long since he was here—and we rebuilt it," he spluttered trying to get out of cleaning the spare room. She raised her brow at him, and he sighed admitting defeat.  
Smiling, Sakura wrapped his arm around her shoulder and turned to exit the restaurant with her husband. As they walked away she heard Sasuke comment, "I'm just glad she didn't start yelling."  
"Me too," the other four whispered as she entered the street with Naruto.  
"Are you sure you want him to stay at the house?"  
"Yes," he responded instantly. "He's my best friend Sakura, he always has been; so until he finds an apartment he's going to stay with us." He looked down at her with a gentle smile and held her closer. "How can he ever feel like he belongs if we don't try our best to make him feel welcome?"  
"But what about the kids?"  
He shrugged rolling his eyes, "They'll be fine. Oh and Shikamaru told me today; both of them are taking the graduation exam."  
"But Isamu is only ten!"  
"But he's smart, like his mother." Naruto smiled.  
"And also reckless like his father." He laughed.  
"Maybe, but I think he'll be okay."  
"What about Tsubaki?"  
"She's just like her mother, I didn't ruin her in anyway," Naruto joked grinning. "Both of them will be fine, they're strong and smart."  
Sakura sighed, "I hope you're right Naruto."  
"Of course I am. We raised them right, they're strong and capable; we can't shelter them Sakura, they have to grow up some time."  
"I feel like I've missed so much of them growing up."  
"Me too."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: The Exhaustion High

Isamu felt his head spinning and tried desperately to grab hold of something that could steady him. It was not so much physical problem, one in which holding onto something would right the world. He was on a high, fueled by sugar and exhaustion from a severe lack of sleep. But he was wide-awake and ready for anything. He just wished the spinning would stop and take the headache with it. He giggled loudly falling onto Hideaki, who was also running on a sugar driven exhaustion high, as they walked down the still crowded street that night.  
The festival was quickly approaching the beginning of its fifteenth hour. People had begun to retire from the festivities hours ago, but there were still more than enough people out to keep the celebration going; even if most of the people where too drunk to remember why they were celebrating.  
Hideaki laughed pushing Isamu off him and stumbled over next to Kiku who, like her counterparts, was giggling in a sugar high. She laughed, nearly falling over Hideaki as she tried to keep going, heading for the shop where they could find some kind of food.  
"Wait guys, stop." Isamu laughed rebounding off a wall and coming back toward the other two. "I just remembered something I wanted to do today."  
The other two stumbled to a halt against the opposite wall and waited expectantly for Isamu to continue. He looked at them for a moment, trying to determine why they had stopped moving before he remembered he had stopped their progress by telling them he wanted to do something else. "We have to go find the guy again."  
"What guy?" Hideaki asked laughing.  
"We met a lot of guys today," Kiku continued leaning forward slightly, and over balancing nearly fell forward. "Well, I met a lot of guys," she corrected after Hideaki managed to cast one of his trademark looks at her.  
"The guy," Isamu said nearly choking on a bout of laughter that suddenly overcame him. "That guy who sat with us at Ichiraku."  
"Uh, wasn't that you're dad? Can't you just talk to him when you get home? I'm hungry," Kiku whined pulling on Isamu's arm in an attempt to move him down the street.  
"No, the other one," Isamu whined back pulling away from Kiku.  
"I don't want to find him again, it took forever the first time," Kiku whined, dragging "forever" out for a whole breath. "And I'm hungry."  
"Guys," Hideaki's quiet whisper was filled with cautious undertones of urgency, "I think someone's following us."  
Isamu's first instinct was to grab Kiku to keep her from turning and toppling on top of him in her rush to see if they really were being pursued. He was a fraction of a second late; the girl fell forward, dragging him to the ground in a fit of laughter. As he fell, Isamu started laughing and became entangled with Kiku as they rolled around on the ground.  
"Guy's I'm serious, someone's tailing us." Hideaki tried to pull the other two apart, causing them to laugh louder. Kiku pulled Hideaki to the ground, causing him to become entangled. Kiku started giggling again as she pulled herself away from the boys looking around for the alleged tail.  
"I don't see anything!" she whined shading her eyes from the light of the shops, "all I can see is the festival!" Kiku's face fell and her mouth shaped a small "o". She dropped to the ground like a ton of bricks, slamming Isamu and Hideaki under her.  
"Ow, Kiku, what are you doing?!" Isamu shouted pushing her fully onto Hideaki. "It hurts when you just drop like that!" Kiku rolled over top of Hideaki and reached around him to slap her hand over Isamu's mouth.  
"Shush, we're being followed," she whispered urgently, practically hissing.  
"You two are being paranoid!" Isamu hissed back, pulling away from the other two to stand up. He looked back over the crowded street where Kiku had been looking before dropping to the ground. "See there's nothing there." He turned back to where the other two were laying low, possibly expecting their invisible follower to jump out and attack them, Isamu thought mockingly.  
"No, no, there's someone there. I saw it Isamu," Kiku's eyes grew wide at the mention of 'seeing' whatever it was. She reached out and grabbed Ismau's leg and pulled him toward her. "Now get down," she reached up and pulled him to the ground.  
"Isamu what if someone infiltrated the village during the festival and is coming after us for information, so they can get to the 'secret weapon'?" Hideaki whispered grabbing Isamu to keep him from getting up.  
"Well, we'll just tell them there is no secret weapon, and then disappear into the crowd," Isamu grunted trying to pull free.  
A loud crash broke the near silence around them. Isamu froze and looked around for what had caused the noise. A shadowy figure was creeping down the street toward them. "Run!" he shouted struggling harder than ever to get up. In their attempts to get up, the three of them became entangled once again, and all three crashed back to the ground and rolled along, tangled back into the crowded streets.  
When they came to a stop in the middle of the street they detangled laughing and stumbled back to their feet, none of them could explain why they were laughing; the mysterious follower was lost in the crowd from what they could tell. Laughing they started down the street again searching for a place to get something to eat.

The night was drawing to a close, shops were closing up and people were staggering back home leaning against each other, laughing and talking quietly to themselves traveling down the slowly evacuating streets and festival. Out of a dark window three pairs of eyes looked out with caution and amusement.  
Though they had seen no sign of their pursuer in a few hours, Isamu, Hideaki and Kiku were still certain that they were being tailed, and were invoking all the stealth they could muster in their exhausted state to avoid and hopefully see their follower.  
Their current location was someone's house, they believed, but it was empty so they had decided to use it anyway; and they were being careful not o disturb anything, so what was the harm? They stood close together looking out over the street, watching every person who passed by the window, and commenting on suspicious persons. They had been there for at least an hour, by their best estimate since they had no way to tell time. But as the crowd started to thin out, the paranoia started to fade and the exhaustion moved past a giggling high, becoming a wall of drowsiness they lacked the ability to overcome.  
Yawning Kiku stepped back and stretched, "guy's I'm tired."  
"But-but someone's following us," Hideaki managed to suppress a yawn turning away from a pair of stumbling men. "And if we go out, he'll find us again." His eyes went wide talking about their tail, as it had all night.  
Kiku's face contorted as she stomped her feet whining, "But I'm tired, and I think I'm hungry again!"  
Isamu jerked around quickly, nearly falling over after discovering one of his legs had fallen asleep, "I think he's in the house with us!" he whispered with wide eyes looking around the room quickly.  
The three of them went silent listening to the house. Floorboards were creaking and they could hear footsteps. With a loud yelp all three took off, running madly around the small room in tight circles, knocking things over and breaking them. Screaming they collided into each other, reversed their directions and crashed into each other again. After the fourth or fifth time they collided they rolled away from each other and come up, back to back to back, ready to fight their follower, which was sure to have found them after all that commotion.  
"Maybe, they didn't hear it," Isamu whispered after several minutes in which someone did not come after them.  
"Or maybe, he's thinking it would be stupid to attack three high trained shinobi." Kiku responded quietly.  
"Do you really think we scared him off?" Hideaki asked lowering his defenses slightly. Sighing the others lowered their defenses too and turned to face each other.  
"No," they all jumped back around pulling their hands up at the sound.  
Hibiki Touji stood in the door way of the small room smirking like he had something over the three of them, which he did since he saw them destroy someone's house. He leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed, his silvery hair falling over his gray eyes.  
"What do you want?"  
"I wanted to see how long it took you idiots to really cause some damage." He sneered, glaring at the three of them. "I'm impressed; you almost made it the whole night; before becoming total idiots."  
"Yeah well, we're not impressed. You didn't even make it a whole minute before being a jerk." Kiku shot back storming across the room. "Now move, before I unleash my awesome kunoichi skills on you."  
He laughed briefly and straightened, using the bulk of his body to block the exit. "What skills?" he mocked, "all you three ever do is hang around with that loser Uzumaki Naruto." Hibiki looked around Kiku to Isamu. "You know what people say about him, don't you Isamu?" He laughed again at the blank look on Isamu's face. "He's a disgrace on the village, all the elders hate him, and so do most of the elite shinobi." Hibiki smirked shrugging. "And I agree with them, him and his whole family should be expunged from the village; or at least they shouldn't be allowed to be shinobi."  
"Shut up Hibiki. My dad is not a disgrace, he's one of the best shinobi the village has ever had, he defeated Pain and was a huge part of the War; not at all like you're dad, or you're uncle; the traitor."  
Hibiki's face fell to a grimace, he scoffed and turned away from the three of them and left. Isamu glared after him, anger rising in him.  
He hated it when people talked about his father like that, it was mainly Hibiki. He seemed to think that if he made Naruto out to be a disgrace hated by the village; the fact that his father was a disgrace or that uncle was a traitor would hurt less, or just would become untrue. Hibiki was the only one person Isamu, Hideaki and Kiku could honestly say they hated.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Isamu's Disgrace

The house was very loud in the morning, a lot of yelling and fighting between the children, he had heard it all. He did not want to get up, to move, to become part of whatever was happening in the rest of the house. He was also uncertain of his desire to be in the house, everything had been well, crazy, since he had arrived in the village. And that morning was by far the most insane; and it had only just begun.  
"Isamu! Hurry up, I don't want to be late today!" Tsubaki was shouting from somewhere below him. He could never remember fighting with Itachi, but he had never really had the chance.  
"I'm coming!" the boy shouted in return, he sounded like he was right outside the door of the room Sasuke was in.  
"Please keep going," Sasuke breathed just as there was a knock on the door. The boy stuck his head through and looked around.  
"I'm sorry, but Dad said to make sure you were up. He wants to do something but he's on a tight schedule; so he wants to meet you at the academy in four hours."  
Sasuke sighed sitting up. "Okay," he watched the boy disappear out the door.  
What could Naruto want? And why start at the academy? Sasuke stood up and looked around the small room, what could Naruto possibly want? Sasuke walked out into the hallway and heard the front door close, so the house would be empty now, scratching his head Sasuke started down the stairs looking around the house. There had not been time to look around the night before; Naruto and Sakura had been kept him busy. He entered the kitchen, and backed back out; he found one of the dispute locations from that morning.  
He went back up stairs, entered his room and sat down looking out the window. The village looked so different than it had before, of course it would be different, it had been destroyed completely before the Last Great Ninja War, but it felt different to be here now, like he was out of place, a visitor in a strange place.  
That was when he realized, he had no idea where the Academy was.

Hideaki glared at the back of Hibiki's head. He had come in to the classroom that morning gloating because he knew something no one else did, like he was five years old or something; for the most part the rest of the class ignored him. But there were always a few people who wanted to know what Hibiki knew. Those select few were giving Hibiki a reason to act like he was better than everyone else. It must have had something to do with Isamu's father, because for the first time they could ever remember, most of the class was ignoring Isamu.  
And Isamu was not handling it very well.  
Isamu was hunched over the desk, propping his chin on his folded arms staring at the back of Hibiki's head, muttering something. He had been distant since he got there and had basically been ignored by the whole class, but the muttering was new, it had started just before lunch.  
Hibiki grinned turning back to see Isamu's reactions, he was thrilled by it. Hibiki grinned turning back to the others and said really loudly, "well if you must know, I'll tell you."  
It was impossible to see what actually happened, but the fact that Hibiki was on the ground under the desk with Isamu on top of him sort of explained it. Isamu had his hand on the back of Hibiki's head, holding his face to the floor and was kneeling on his back. Hibiki was flailing trying to get a hold on something that he could use to get away from Isamu, but the more he moved the harder Isamu pressed his face to the floor.  
"Hibiki, I don't know what your problem is and to tell the truth, I really don't care," Isamu said placing his free hand Hibiki's shoulder, he flipped the larger boy over and raised his hand for a punch, "but you're not going to talk bad about my father!"  
Hibiki cowered from the smaller boy's raised fist and tried to scoot away, but Isamu still had his shoulder and was holding him in place. Determining he was unable to escape he looked up at Isamu and managed to find some of his arrogance, "what are you going to do punch me? I'm sure sensei would love that; it'll finally give him a reason to get rid of you."  
Hideaki saw Isamu's mouth twitch and watched his fist fall to connect with Hibiki's face. The crowd that gathered and cheered on Isamu was astounding considering none of them had spoken to Isamu all day, but he was fighting Hibiki. No one really liked Hibiki.  
After the third punch Isamu hauled Hibiki to his feet and down to the front of the class. Hibiki looked unsure; he was not good at taijutsu unlike Isamu. Hibiki raised his hands up anyway, looking over his shoulder at the door, hoping that the teacher would come in and save him.  
"What's wrong Hibiki, all talk and nothing to back it up?" Isamu asked coolly watching the large boy quiver. Hibiki turned back to Isamu slowly.  
"I'll have you know, I'm going to tell the sensei about this," he said weakly moving a little farther away from Isamu.  
"Go ahead, I don't care. Someone needs to teach you that you're not better than the rest of us; so go ahead tell sensei," Isamu moved forward so that he was within easy reach of Hibiki. Isamu smiled taking another small step forward, "go ahead, hit me. I know you want to." Hibiki tightened his fists and closed his eyes as he swung, hitting Isamu in his left shoulder.  
As Isamu went back with the punch his right leg came up at lightning speed and he kicked Hibiki in the side and sent the boy rolling away. Isamu stood up and watched Hibiki stand up huffing and puffing.  
"Say what you want Hibiki, but my dad is not a disgrace on the village, he saved it. And if you've got some kind of problem with it, I don't care, but all this stuff you're doing to make others seem worse isn't changing the facts about your own father." He turned around and started for his desk.  
"That man," Hibiki gasped from the floor, "the one your dad brought back, the Uchiha, he's a traitor. All the Uchiha are traitor and the man attacked the village too! So say what you want," he grinned venomously at Isamu, "You dad is a disgrace for housing him, and so are you, your sister and your mother!"  
Isamu stopped beside his desk and looked down at his hands, which were red from where he had punched Hibiki. He stood quietly for a minute, then two, and finally he spoke, "Kakashi-sensei always told me and Tsubaki something, 'those who ignore the rules are scum; but those who abandon their comrades are worse than scum.' That man," he turned around and looked down at Hibiki, "is a friend of my parents, and he was welcomed back to the village by the Hokage. So no, my parents aren't a disgrace they are honorable for not abandoning their comrade. But I guess you wouldn't know anything about that, since you distance yourself from everyone.  
"But Hibiki, that distance doesn't make you better. The fact that you don't have ties to the people here in the village; that just makes you weaker." Isamu looked Hibiki square in the eye for a moment, then turned and walked out of the class room.

Luckily the academy was in the same area as it had been before; it basically looked exactly the same, including a swing in a tree out front, and benches lining the walkways. Sasuke sat down to wait for Naruto. There was still a little time before they were supposed to meet.  
He had walked around the village during his search for the academy, it was so different, but it felt oddly familiar, like he had never left. He was confused by that feeling. He had left, he should not feel like he had been there all along. He doubted he should even been there… All the others had stayed, trained there in the village, become strong, then settled down and had families, all of them had accomplished something with their lives. He had not. He felt so alone now, more so than he ever had while actually out on his own. Was it because he was so different from the rest of them now, because his problems had manifested and lured him into the clutches of Orochimaru, because he had been unable to let go of the past?  
"I don't think I belong here," he heard himself whisper to the wind.  
He looked up hearing footsteps on the walk, could it be Naruto? A small redheaded child was coming down the walk, his fists clenched, his eyes glazed with anger and flooded with tears. Isamu did not look like he was having a good day.  
He stormed past Sasuke and stopped a few steps later. Sasuke watched him wipe the tears from his eyes and turned around, coming back to sit next to Sasuke on the bench.  
Sasuke looked cautiously at the boy. Something was wrong, Sasuke suspected a lot like his father when it came to thing bothering him. But the boy's face, at that moment was contorted, filled with rage; Sasuke had rarely seen such rage in anyone.  
"What's wrong?" he asked, not entirely sure if he wanted to know.  
"Would you say my parents are a disgrace because they never gave up on you?" the boy asked not looking at him.  
"No," Sasuke said soundly slightly unsure.  
"Can you tell me something?" Isamu looked down at the ground, "is there any reason my dad would be a disgrace?"  
Naruto, a disgrace, that did not seem possible, well apart from his childhood in which he had acted out, but that was not a cause for him to be a disgrace. Ever since he became a shinobi, Naruto has done everything in his power to help the village. He would never do something to be a disgrace; he was trying to be the Hokage.  
"Your dad is one of the most honorable people I know," Sasuke heard himself say. Isamu looked up at him, uncertainty written all over the boy's rounded face. "Your dad would never do anything to disgrace the village."  
"He's never done anything?" the boy asked, Sasuke shook his head.  
"For as long as I can remember into our childhood, your father had one dream; to be Hokage," Sasuke laughed. "He wouldn't do anything that prevented him from that, it was against his nindo."  
"What about you?"  
"I'm a completely different story." Sasuke sighed looking down at the ground. If anyone deserved to be called a disgrace, it would be him, Uchiha Sasuke.  
"Are my parents a disgrace, because they never gave up on you?"  
Sasuke looked back to boy, and saw that this was really getting to him. Why would he think that his parents were disgraces? What had caused these questions, and why was he asking him? "I know most you've met Kakashi Hatake," Sasuke looked over and saw the boy nod in response. "During the Third Great Ninja War, Kakashi was fourteen and he lost his best friend on a mission." Sasuke watched Isamu intently as he spoke. "A member of their team had been captured, the medical operative, Kakashi's friend went to go save her himself, against Kakashi's commands."  
"And the guy died, I know this story."  
"Did you know that Kakashi's father committed suicide after being disgraced for breaking the rules?" Isamu nodded. "Then you know, when Kakashi followed after Obito, he was breaking the rules too." Again Isamu nodded. "Then you know why he did it?"  
"Those who break the rules are scum, but those who abandon their friends are worse than scum."  
"That's what your parents did. They enlisted the help of everyone they knew to help me; even when I thought I didn't need their help."  
"They broke the rules, to help a missing-nin," Isamu whispered looking out over the walkway. Sasuke nodded and smiled looking out too. He felt Isamu was about to speak again, but they were interrupted before the boy had the chance.  
Naruto came down the walk grinning from ear to ear, until he saw Isamu. Naruto's face fell looking at his son sitting out on the bench when he was supposed to be in class. Isamu quickly looked over to his father, and then tried very hard to not be seen by hiding behind Sasuke.  
"Isamu, what are you doing?"  
"Well, dad, you see," he started slowly, leaning forward just enough to see around Sasuke. "I kinda left a little early, there's no reason to be mad or anything." Naruto's face fell into a frown listening to his son's vague reason for not being in class. "And, it's not like I'm missing anything—we're just working on shuriken techniques this afternoon, and I'm really good with shuriken—and kunai too," he nearly tripped over the last sentence sliding back behind Sasuke again.  
"You're skipping class?"  
Sasuke heard a weak "yes" from the boy beside him before he was up and gone, back the way he had come. Naruto watched him go, maintaining the look of disappointment or annoyance, whichever he was using to get the boy back into the classroom. When Isamu was gone, Naruto sighed and sat down next to Sasuke where his son had been moments earlier.  
"Did he say why he wasn't in class?" Naruto asked without looking at Sasuke.  
"No, he was just asking me a question."  
"What did he ask?" Naruto looked over at him, a look of surprise written all over his face.  
"He asked if you had ever done anything to be considered a disgrace on the village."  
"What did you tell him?"  
"I said no, but I stayed clear of the tailed-beast issue. I don't know if you've talked them about it and I don't see it as my place to tell him." Naruto looked down to the ground with a sigh.  
"All of that doesn't matter anymore, ever since the war. We talked about telling them, but there doesn't seem to be a point." He shook his head folding his hands, "I'm sure there's some people in the village that still hate me, still blame me for the attack the night I was born because I have the demon inside me, but," he paused, his mouth hanging slightly open, searching for a word, a way to continue. "But that was thirty-two years ago; we've been through worse since that night."  
Sasuke shrugged leaning back and looking up at the sky, "regardless of how long ago it was, or what's happened since, it's part of your history, so it part of their history. You'll have to tell them someday, and I'm fairly certain they'd rather hear it from you and Sakura than someone else." They sat in silence for a moment.  
"Isamu said you wanted to talk to me about something this morning," Sasuke finally offered looking over at Naruto.  
"Right, Granny Tsunade wanted to see us today," Naruto stood up and smiled looking down at Sasuke.  
All those years apart, and Naruto still looked at him the same way. He did not judge him for leaving, well maybe he did. But he said nothing and he his feelings about it did not show, he just smiled like he had when they were twelve years old. What did he go through trying to bring me back, Sasuke wondered standing up.

"You've been reinstated as a genin," Tsunade said looking up from her papers. "I'll form a team for you to take the chunin exams next summer; that will give you plenty of time to get to know them." Sasuke nodded, "as of right now you'll be on assignment with either Sakura or Shikamaru's teams." She started shuffling through the papers and pulled one out of the middle of her stack. "Yes here it is. Tomorrow morning you'll met with Ino, Chouji and Shikamaru to test your abilities, I'm sure they're sufficient but it's a formality that Shizune won't allow me overlook," she glared past the two of them at the door, where they knew she knew Shizune was listening in on them. "Alright Sasuke I hope to see you again tomorrow after you've met with Shikamaru with good news; you're dismissed." Sasuke turned with Naruto to leave, "Wait Naruto, I need to talk to you."  
Naruto stopped and met Sasuke's eye from a moment before he continued out into the hallway. The door clicked closed and Naruto turned back around to Tsunade. The Hokage dropped her papers and stood up, walked around the desk and leaned against it, sighing.  
"Are you aware that Isamu has been fighting in his classes?" she asked, Naruto reeled back.  
"Isamu? No," he said, surprise flooding his voice.  
"Today Hibiki Touji reported that Isamu has been bullying him for the past several months." Tsunade sighed, "I know you and Sakura try, but you're both extremely active elite shinobi, is it possible that Isamu is acting out to get attention?"  
Naruto shook his head, "we always take time out to be with Tsubaki and Isamu, we do everything possible to make sure they're okay, I've turned down missions to make sure those two are okay."  
"I know Naruto, but there must be something going on, the boy came in bruised, he reported that Isamu assaulted him in class this afternoon, in front of everyone. I pulled some of the students, and they all conformed that Isamu was fighting with Hibiki Touji. So I have to ask, is something going on?"  
Naruto stood there thinking back on his son's behavior over the past months. He had been out of the village a lot during that time, visiting the Kazekage, off on missions mostly, training a bit on a new chakra nature and a new jutsu. It was possible that he had missed a problem with Isamu… "I'll talk to him about it."  
"If he does it again I'll have to suspend him. We can't have our shinobi fighting against each other, it makes us weak." Naruto nodded slowly to her and turned around and left the office.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Training

First he needed weapons, which he had no money to purchase, and he needed a touch of practice. His first throw with a kunai was way off the mark and the second was even worse. He decided to try shuriken, and that was a little better, but not by much. His ninjutsu was terrible, he could still form the hand seals at lightning speed but his chakra manipulation had suffered over the past three years since he started hiding. To put it bluntly, he was terrible at everything.  
Sasuke sat in the backyard holding a kunai in his hands looking over at the target he had set up, and the multitude of wide shots he had made in the previous hour. How could he possibly hope to pass any kind of exam tomorrow morning with his skills in this state? What was he going to do? He slipped the kunai back into the holster he had borrowed from Naruto and sighed standing up to retrieve the weapons.  
He returned to his position and pulled one of the kunai and spun it around on his finger, he remembered Naruto used to do that all the time while he was practicing, and he would throw it and it always hit the target, but never the center. He tossed the kunai into the air caught it, took aim and threw it; and sighed in disappointment, to far right, incredibly to far right.  
"You know if you throw a little more to the left you'd hit the target." He turned around and saw Tsubaki standing on the back walk, taping her hands.  
"No, it would go to far left and he'd have the same problem," Isamu came up behind Tsubaki on the walk, wrapping his hands up as well.  
"Not if he doesn't over do it like you," Tsubaki retorted jumping over the railing into the yard beside Sasuke. Isamu scoffed jumping over the railing to stand on Sasuke's other side.  
"If he throws it left it'll go left; its basic knowledge." Isamu took a kunai out of the holster on Sasuke's leg and threw it, making it obvious that he was throwing it to the left, and watched it stick into the ground wide of the target. "See," he turned a triumphant smirk at his sister.  
"But he's throwing to far right," Tsubaki took one of the kunai for herself. She pointed it over at the kunai Sasuke had thrown, "he threw to far right, so if he throws left it'll hit the target," she threw the kunai and hit the target dead center.  
"You threw it straight!"  
"Not me, Sasuke needs to throw more left! I know I threw it straight!" she shouted back, moving so the siblings were stand right in front of each other.  
"You don't know what you're talking about! If he throws left, it'll go left! If he throws it straight it'll go straight, and if he throws right, it'll go right!"  
"When he throws straight it veers right, to correct it he needs to throw to the left until his aim improves!" The pair of them glared at each other, both looking like they were about shout again or start throwing punches.  
"Okay guys are you ready to start?" Naruto appeared on the walk with a training dummy thrown over his shoulder. He did not look at them until he came down the steps into the yard and set the dummy down. "What's going on here?" he asked with exaggeration pushing the pair away from each other.  
"Tsubaki doesn't know what she's talking about!"  
"Isamu is being stupid!" they shouted at the same time turning to their father. And they both continued to shout about right and left and something that sounded like wanting to throw each other left or right and seeing in they could stick to the tree using chakra. Naruto looked back and forth between them as they shouted, smiling at them until they finally ran out of things to shout about.  
"Well that didn't take as long as it usually does," Naruto smiled rubbing the back of his neck like Kakashi did when Sasuke and Naruto had fought. "Now, Tsubaki, you go first."  
"Sasuke is throwing to far to the right, so I said to throw more left, because that will straighten it out, but Isamu," she glared over at her brother, "is being stupid and saying that throwing it left will make it go wide on the left. Now tell him he's wrong!"  
"I'm not wrong! Throwing it to the left now will only form the habit of constantly throwing left, which means he will always go left!" Isamu shouted back before Naruto could say anything to Tsubaki. "So that means I'm right, and Tsubaki doesn't know what she's talking about."  
Naruto nodded at his son and stepped between them looking at the three kunai that had been thrown at the target, one to the right, one on the left and the one on the target. "Sasuke, throw one," Naruto commanded looking at the target. Sasuke complied, stepping forward and pulling a kunai from the holster he took aim and threw it, and watched with limited disappointment as it veered right and stunk in the ground. Naruto turned back to Sasuke with a look of concentration on his face, "now again," he ordered. Once again Sasuke complied and threw another kunai, it came in a little closer, but it was still way off the mark.  
"You're twisting your wrist." He said almost instantly watching the kunai stick to the ground. Sasuke looked down at his hand, he was twisting his wrist? Well all he had to do was straighten it. He threw another one, extremely conscious of his arm and wrist movement. It soared through the air and nicked the side of the tree the target was on, the other side of the tree; he was too far left. "A little less," Naruto said and watched as he threw another.  
After nearly an hour Sasuke was at least able to hit the target with both kunai and shuriken, it was definite improvement from when he started and Isamu and Tsubaki had given up on trying to determine who had been right and were watching Sasuke's practice with obvious boredom. And finally Naruto called a halt to the throwing to move on to what he and the children had come out to work on, taijutsu.  
At the news Isamu leapt up from his spot on the steps with a whoop of excitement and bounded across the yard to Naruto with a grin spread across his face. Tsubaki groaned as she pushed herself up and drug her feet as she followed along behind her brother. It was plain to see who was excited about this, and who would rather be doing anything else.  
"Alright, no weapons and no chakra, straight taijutsu." Naruto raised a brow at his son at the last part. Isamu rolled his eyes but nodded his agreement just the same. Naruto turned and saw Tsubaki give a reluctant nod before taking a step back from Isamu, who had leapt into a fighting stance, and stood fists raised, ready to start. "Begin."  
Isamu threw a punch and a kick with fractions of a second between the two and had Tsubaki on her heels reeling back. She was blocking the attacks but she was losing ground, and the more she moved back the faster Isamu threw his punches. After several small steps back, Isamu paused and started moving back, Tsubaki advancing with combinations of double kicks and spinning kicks aiming to trip the boy up.  
Sasuke could see the smile pulling at Isamu's lips as he dodged the kicks and back-flipped out of range of his sister, who had a look of annoyance spread across her face as she advanced. With one final punch Tsubaki managed to hit Isamu, but just barely; he rolled it off his shoulder and began the return, advancing with kicking and punching combinations, somersaulting and leaping around his sister, who still managed to block the attacks. They continued to switch back and forth between attacking and defending but at some point the sparring moved from each taking turns to just full out attack and block as they saw fit.  
Sasuke moved up next to Naruto who was somewhat mediating the fight with a childish grin on his face. "Do they always do this?" he asked watching them with slight awe.  
"Only on the days they mess up part of the house." Naruto responded, then shouted "Tsubaki, no chakra!" Isamu shouted something as he landed a kick on his sister's upper thigh, at the same time Tsubaki punched him in the stomach. "So most every day, yeah."  
Every day? "Do they do anything else?"  
"A mixture of things;" Naruto shrugged, "usually for at least an hour each."  
"Pretty rough training regimen," Sasuke commented watching Isamu lose the upper hand for the first time since the straight sparring had started.  
"It's punishment, they have their own training regiments, and I'm lucky enough to be the mediator," Naruto sighed, and shouted out a warning to Tsubaki who was using chakra again.  
"So this isn't part of their training?"  
"Well, we tried several different types of punishment but nothing stuck, so we made them do something that they don't like doing."  
"It seems that Isamu is enjoying this."  
"Oh Isamu is a master at taijutsu, he has a natural talent for it; this is Tsubaki's punishment." Sasuke cast Naruto a surprised glance. "She messed up Sakura's study this morning while Isamu was in the shower, and she was part of the kitchen destruction, and I heard them fighting."  
"So what are the punishments?"  
"For Tsubaki, when they make a disaster out of one of the rooms, she has taijutsu training, if I hear them fighting in the mornings she has genjutsu training at night. If they do something to make Sakura angry she has chakra control. For Isamu, he has genjutsu training for fighting, ninjutsu for angering Sakura, and chakra control for destroying rooms. And if they're both just over all in trouble for something they have a training session with Kakashi or Shikamaru."  
"Dad!" Tsubaki cried out, "Can we do something else now?"  
"No! Now keep going!"  
"How much longer?" she whined, managing to block half the punches Isamu was throwing.  
"Until I say stop, now keep going or it will be even longer." Tsubaki groaned and jumped back to avoid spinning kick from her brother. "If you want you can join in, I'm sure you could use the opportunity for the practice."  
"It has been a while since I sparred." Sasuke was not sure if he wanted to go up against one of these two.  
"Well no time like the present," Naruto smiled and whistled, the pair stopped instantly, Isamu chambered his leg, which had been a hair's breadth away from striking Tsubaki in the chest, and Tsubaki pulled her punch back to guard her face. "Isamu out! Tsubaki you'll be sparring Sasuke." Isamu set his foot down and groaned in what was obvious disappointment that Tsubaki was getting to spar with the Uchiha.  
A little unsure if this was as good an idea as Naruto believed, Sasuke stepped up to spar.  
"Dad, why does Tsubaki get to spar with Sasuke?" Isamu pouted standing beside his father as Tsubaki sent the Uchiha on his heels.  
"Because you would enjoy it too much, and Tsubaki is still being punished."  
"She's not being punished, look at her," he held his arm out, indicating the broad grin that was fighting to remain on her face, "she's having a great time!"  
"Don't worry, you'll get your chance, you still have to work on your chakra control and practice ninjutsu and genjutsu." Isamu's face twisted and he sunk down in himself at the mention of chakra training, ninjutsu and genjutsu training; he really needed to stop being pulled into stuff with Tsubaki.  
"So can I just go ahead and do one of the other punishments while they're sparring?" Naruto smiled down at him, and Isamu sunk down a little farther.  
"Yes, you can practice your hand seals while they spar; if I catch you slacking off it'll be double." Groaning Isamu moved away from his father and started practicing hand seals and ninjutsu.

Considering how long it had been since he had really participated in sparring like that, Sasuke was surprised he was able to keep up with Tsubaki. Granted she was already tired from sparring with Isamu and she was no doubt taking it easy on him to spare him complete humiliation but he was able to block all of her attacks and almost landed a few punches, and once got in a kick.  
It was not too long however before he was winded and pouring sweat, he was ready to stop, and from the looks of it Tsubaki was too, but she kept going, and she probably would until Naruto called for her to stop. What was Naruto doing anyway? He had not said or commented for a while. Sasuke held his hand to call for a pause and turned to find Naruto.  
Isamu was off a little away from them practicing something, but Naruto was nowhere to be seen. "Where's Naruto?" he asked between gasps looking around the yard, ignoring the two additional Isamu's that appeared.  
"He went to go get something," Isamu responded.  
"I think," the second Isamu continued.  
"But he might have gone find mom," the third and final of the Isamu's commented.  
"That would be classified as 'going to get something' I think," one of the other two commented.  
"No it doesn't, it's 'going to find mom'. Mom's not a thing." The other returned pushing on the one who had categorized finding Sakura as 'going to get something'.  
"Isamu's chill!" Tsubaki called before they could continue, stepping in between the three of them. "Now you," she pointed at one of them, "What was he going to get, or what do you think he went to get, or who was he going to find?" she asked seeing the mouths of the other two open to comment about how he might have gone for Sakura. He shrugged his shoulders.  
"I don't know." She turned to the next, who shrugged, and then to the third who responded in the same manner.  
"So none of you know," they all three nodded grinning at Tsubaki. Tsubaki looked around at the three of them and moaned quietly her face falling into a pout that matched Naruto's perfectly. "Dad! This is cheating!" she cried out quickly throwing a punch at one of the boys, and kicking out behind her striking another.  
The one she did not hit, poofed into Naruto, the one she kicked poofed into Sakura and the one who got punched rolled back and bounced back up as Tsunade. "Did you mean to hit the Hokage, or was it an accident?" Naruto asked clapping his daughter on the shoulder.  
"The Hokage," Tsubaki breathed trying hard to disappear under her father's hand. "I'm sorry Lady Hokage, I didn't know you were here, I thought it was Isamu," she started quickly, in a high voice, "if I knew it was you, I wouldn't have punched you. I would never, ever punch the Hokage."  
"It's alright Tsubaki," Tsunade laughed clapping the girl on the shoulder. "I was here to watch Sasuke."  
"Why?" Tsubaki asked looking up at the Hokage.  
"Well, some things came up, and Shikamaru was dispatched with Ino and Chouji about an hour ago." Tsunade sighed, "And I wanted to get Sasuke reinstated, and I knew Naruto's punishments for you and your brother, so I decided to use that to judge his skills."  
"You mean, he's just going to be a ninja again after fighting her, and I still have to take the exam?!" Isamu shouted appearing between his parents in a matter of seconds, his finger extended at Tsubaki. "I fight her all the time, and I always win!"  
Tsunade turned on the boy quickly with a look that sent him in quick retreat behind his mother. "Sasuke was already a shinobi. I was just judging his skill level since I haven't seen him in action for more than fifteen years. You still have to graduate the academy," Isamu flinched and tried hard to vanish behind his mother.  
"Right, sorry. Continue, Lady Hokage, Ma'am."  
"Now then," Tsunade turned back to Sasuke. "It's a bit of a stretch, but I think you'll be able for a few simple tasks until Naruto and the others get you back in shape." She smiled producing a headband from her pocket. "Congratulations."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Morning in the Hidden Leaf

The next morning, Sasuke woke up extremely early and could not fall back to sleep. He lay in the bed looking up at the ceiling and waiting for the inevitable; the sounds of Tsubaki and Isamu getting ready for classes at the Academy. The longer he waited for it, the quieter the house seemed. Odd, he thought, they should be up by now.  
Sasuke rolled out of bed and ventured out into the house. It was still dark outside, the moon was just starting to disappear in the west and the stars were just beginning to twinkle out of sight. The house was still and quiet, no bickering preteens, no various disasters throughout the two-leveled house, no noise at all. It was the first time he had heard the house silent, and it was a bit unnerving.  
It reminded him of the morning following Itachi's forced genocide of his clan, his house had been silent that morning, and silent every morning after that…  
He shook the thought away like a heavy burden, and breathed deeply trying to keep the eerie thought at bay. This was not the Uchiha Compound, this was Naruto and Sakura's home; and everyone was just asleep still. So there was nothing to worry about.  
Sasuke went back up to his room and changed, he wanted some time alone; to think and not spend most of the time trying to avoid Naruto, who would want to do something with him, Sakura who would want to talk to him, Tsubaki who would spend all her time staring at him, and Isamu. So he was going to leave before they all woke up, and walk around the village thinking.  
The sky had lightened to a soft gray when he left the house, but it was fading in the east with the rising of the sun. It would not be much longer before the sun was up and the village would come to life with children running around laughing, mothers herding their children around while they went about their daily business, shinobi and citizen alike watching him like they he was about to lash out and destroy the village. They would look away when they thought he was looking, but they would turn back to him as soon as they thought it was safe again; he wanted a little time before all that started.  
He breathed in deeply as he walked in silence looking at the village, there were less trees now, they were still abundant, but not quite as much as it had been before, and the buildings were missing the rustic charm, was that the way to describe how the village had looked before? It had a new look, a new feel, a new… everything.  
So not only was he out of place here, in his childhood home, it was all new, all different, and somewhat confusing. But he was here, he had given up on everything else; this was it now, the village, Naruto, Sakura and all the others, this was where he was and who he was going to be from now on. Granted thirty-two was not the best time to decide who you are going to be, since half of your life is already behind you, but it was a good time to restart, right?  
He sighed sitting down on one of the benches lining the street. He wanted to start over. He was going to start over, pretend the last nineteen years had never happened. That meant he was going to work as a shinobi here in the village with all his comrades. They were his comrades, they had never given up on him and now he was going to prove that all their effort had not been wasted. He was also going to marry and have children, he would restart his clan, making it as strong and powerful as before, but not arrogant. He would lead a normal peaceful life with a family and steady work with his friends.  
He was going to revamp his life for the better. And the first step was to find an apartment and move out of Naruto's house. From there he could begin again, form a life; a real life.  
Sasuke was not sure how long he had been walking around the village, but it was coming to life now and people he had yet to run into during his stay at the village were seeking him out. Rock Lee was the first, he came bounding down the street, filled with the vibrancy he had always showed when they were genin, and was tailed by a boy dressed like him, it was like a mini Rock Lee.  
"Uchiha Sasuke!" he said leaping to a stop in front of him. "It's good to see you again!" he more or less shouted. "I would like to stay and talk, but I have to finish my exercises this morning before I have to meet Lady Tsunade! If you want you can join us."  
"No thanks, I don't think I would be able to keep up with you," Sasuke smiled jokingly.  
"Well the offer will always stand, if you want to join us," Lee shouted and took off again. Sasuke watched in slight shock as Rock Lee bounded off, the mini-me steps behind him.  
Second he ran into Kiba Inuzuka, he was accompanied by a pair of huge dogs; Sasuke could not tell if one of them was Akamaru or not, and a girl around the same age as Tsubaki with a puppy sitting on top of her head. "Ah, good morning Sasuke," Kiba greeted smiling.  
"Good morning Kiba." He returned stopping to talk, since Kiba did not seem to be in a hurry to go somewhere like Lee had. "And who is this? He asked turning to the girl.  
"Inuzuka Hotaru," she said almost defiantly looking at him with a cross between a raised brow and a pointed glare. Kiba laughed and dropped his hand on the girls shoulder to avoid hitting the dog.  
"How have you been Sasuke? I meant to come find you during the festival, but," he stopped, thinking of why he had not come to see Sasuke.  
"You where with Shino, Chouji and Shikamaru drinking." Hotaru supplied the missing information. "Mom had to come take you home, because Akamaru couldn't steer you anywhere near the compound." Kiba grinned broadly at Hotaru, who sighed rolling her eyes.  
"So what are you up to this morning?" Kiba asked changing the subject.  
"Just walking around, getting to know the village," Sasuke replied. Kiba nodded.  
"It is a lot different since we rebuilt," Kiba dropped his hand from his daughter's shoulder and on to the head of one of the dogs. "I love to stay and chat, but I've got to get this guy home." He smiled rubbing the dog behind his ears.  
"You're welcome to walk with us, we can catch up." Sasuke shook his head, not wanting to impose, especially since Hotaru did not seem thrilled to be in his company. Kiba shrugged, "We'll have to talk later then," waving Kiba walked away with the dogs and Hotaru in tow.  
Next were Ten Ten and Hinata. The waved him over smiling and invited him to join them as they continued down the street. They chatted lightly about the weather and Sasuke's plans now that he had returned to the village. He talked to them vaguely about what he wanted to do, they wouldn't be interested in the details. When he parted ways with them near the Hyuuga Compound, he smiled and waved farewell as he continued on without them.  
It was almost noon when Sasuke worked his way back around to the Uzumaki house. Isamu was walking out the door as Sasuke started up the walk. "I would not go in there," he said warningly as he passed Sasuke. "Mom and dad are being all," he shuddered, shaking his head, continuing on to the street. "It's nasty, just so you know." He gave the final warning and then was gone.  
Sasuke looked up at the house and then back to where Isamu had been when he last saw him. Did he really want to go in there if Naruto and Sakura were doing something that made Isamu shudder?  
No, not really. But he was getting hungry, and he still lacked the funds to pay for a meal out in the village. So he had to go in. He took a deep breath and continued to the door.  
For the most part the house was quiet, but he could hear people talking, it sounded like it was coming from the kitchen, so that was where he needed to avoid; but that was where the food was. He sighed and started for the kitchen, as he pushed open the talking stopped, and when he entered the kitchen Sakura was sitting at the table and Naruto was leaning against one of the counters. Sasuke smiled as he entered heading for the refrigerator, to get something and then retreat to a different part of the house to eat it.  
After he had what he came for, Sasuke turned to leave but a hand on his shoulder stopped him. Smiling he turned to find Naruto forcing a smile at him. What had he done?  
"Sasuke, I need to talk to you."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Hibiki's Revenge

Of course Hibiki would not come after him alone, he would get his whole little gang together and use them as bashers. Isamu had been stupid to think that something like this was not coming after humiliating Hibiki in class. And naturally they had waited until he was alone and ambushed him; fifteen to one were never good odds.  
Five of them had clubs, and they were massive, both in height and body fat, they were holding him back against the wall on the alley while Hibiki and the other nine took turns at him. Punch after punch Isamu grinned up at them; let them punch him he would take it. Hibiki came forward again to take his turn, grinning he punched Isamu square in the nose. Isamu felt the warmth of his blood as it flowed down his upper lip and tasted it flow into his mouth, he gave a half grin and spit the blood at Hibiki's feet.  
"You know this doesn't change anything Hibiki," he gasped looking at the boy, "I'm still me, and I'm still a better fighter. All you've done is shown that you can't fight on your own." Hibiki clenched his fist and swung wildly barely managing to land a hit. Isamu laughed, watching the boy shake his fist as he backed away.  
"You're lucky I can't see right from where you hit me in class." Hibiki said smugly nodding for someone who threw a decent punch to come up. Grinning the next boy took several swings at him before moving back to let the others have another turn.  
Isamu spit the blood out between his attackers and waited, they would eventually get tired of this, especially since he was not fighting back, then he could go find someone to heal this up before he went home. He had a broken nose he knew, and possibly a broken arm from when the mountains ambushed him. He knew Hibiki, this attack was just payback for the embarrassment he had endure before the whole class, the fact that no one saw the attack matter, and neither did the fact that Isamu had been ambushed. All Hibiki cared about was that he had beaten Isamu up. When he talked about what happened he would forget to mention he had fourteen others helping him, and that five of them had been huge boys that were three times Isamu's size. Yes, Hibiki would forget to mention those important facts and take all the glory for beating up the top of the class himself, and gloat in that for a few days.  
Finally the boys dropped Isamu into a heap on the ground and chuckled kicking him around a bit before Hibiki called them off with a gloating air. "I hope you learned you're lesson," he spat, and laughing led the others away from him.  
Gasping Isamu sat up and leaned back against the wall, a few broken ribs too. Wincing he tried to count them, but his arms decided they were not working properly, his collarbone had probably cracked or something. He gritted his teeth trying to stand up, he gasped giving up and leaned back against the wall again; well that was not going to work. He would have to signal some help if he could not get up, which meant word would get around to his parents.  
He groaned inwardly at that thought, they would be disappointed that he had not come to them about this thing going on with Hibiki. And then they would fuss over him and his broken body. He groaned inwardly again at that thought; there was no way he could take the graduation exam now, his arm was broken, his ribs were broken and his collarbone was messed up. There went Kiku's plans of them being on a team together, he would have to wait until the next exam now, and be on a team with people he did not particularly know or enjoy spending time with. This day was just going from bad to worse the longer it went on, and Isamu wished it would just end.  
He also wished someone would randomly decide to walk down this alley and help him to the hospital. Taking as deep a breath as he dared, Isamu gritted his teeth again and moved to stand up. He made it to his feet and leaned against the wall gasping as he looked ahead to the street, at least there was nothing wrong with his legs or feet. So if he could manage the pain of breathing he could get to the hospital; or at the least out into the street to find help. The first step was the easiest; it did not hurt as much as the second and the third. The more he walked the harder it become to walk. Gasping he stopped, waiting for the pain to subside a little so he could continue, he groaned leaning his head against the wall and looking out to the street. He could make it, it was only a little pain and if he did not, it would be like he let Hibiki win.  
He gritted his teeth again and took a step forward using the wall for support. One step, then two, and then three; on the fourth step his knee buckled and he crashed to the ground, dark red blots floating across his vision. He lay there waiting, it had taken everything he had to get up the first time, he could not do it again; Hibiki had won after all.

Naruto was silent, his face was expressionless, but Sasuke could his mind moving, reeling through something; the something the Hokage had wanted to talk to him about.  
What had it been, what had she said to Naruto? Did it have something to do with him, was the cause of Naruto's silent thoughts something about him? Most likely, a lot of things happening in the village seemed to be revolving around his arrival back in the Hidden Leaf, but what was it? What was Naruto thinking about, and why had it occupied his thoughts for so long?  
"Sasuke," Naruto's voice cut through his thought process and brought him back to reality. "What exactly did Isamu say to you that day he wasn't in class?"  
"I already told you, he asked about you being a disgrace?" Sasuke replied watching Naruto as they walked down the street. "He asked if you were disgrace for helping me, for never giving up on me."  
"That's all, nothing else?" so whatever was bothering Naruto was not about him, it was about Isamu. Sasuke shook his head. "Granny Tsunade said he was fighting in class. The teacher didn't see it, but the whole class watched," Naruto sighed shoving his hands into his pockets. "I just don't understand why he would do that, Isamu has never been violent."  
Sasuke could see that, he had not known the boy for very long, but he had not seen anything out of his overall behavior that would suggest Isamu was a violent person. The boy did not seem have Sakura's strength or her short temperament. So, Isamu was the reason behind the silence, and was what the Hokage had talked to Naruto about.  
Sasuke opened his mouth to speak, but just as the words were forming, a shout interrupted their conversation, the shout of a twelve years old girl. "Dad! Dad, Isamu's been ambushed! You've got to come help!"  
Naruto's breath caught in his throat, his son had been ambushed. The boy who had gone to Tsunade must have lied, Isamu had not done anything. It had to be the other way around and now that boy would be seeking revenge. He gave one brief look at Sasuke before running toward Tsubaki, telling her to lead the way.  
Tsubaki ran quickly down the streets of the village leading the way to where Isamu was. She turned down narrow alleys and skittered through masses of people dodging around most but sometimes she plowed through people. Naruto and Sasuke stayed right behind her and she finally slid to a stop before a long shadowed alley and started down it.  
Half way down the alley Tsubaki slid to another stop, this time dropping onto her knees over something that resembled a pile of trash. Naruto was beside her in seconds, kneeling over the unconscious form of his son; his breath caught in his throat again looking down at him.  
Isamu's breathing was shallow, his face was bruised in vicious shades of blues, greens and black, and one of his arms was lying at an odd angle.  
Gently Naruto reached down and touched his son's arm, there was a ripple across the boy's face, Naruto's heart broke. Gently he lifted the boy into his arms, careful of the broken arm; even that caused the ripples to cross the boy's beaten face. He stood slowly, trying to move Isamu as little as possible, and started down the street

He could still remember the day Isamu was born. February twenty-ninth, a leap day, there had not been any complications, the delivery had been quick, and when they laid the little boy in his hands for the first time, he had felt a swelling pride hold that baby, his son. He had Tsubaki with him, the first time he had held his son, and the toddler stood on tip-toe to see what her father was holding, and grinned when Naruto held the baby down for her to see.  
"Is that my new little brother?" she had asked, she had wanted a little brother from the time she found out Sakura was pregnant.  
Naruto had smiled, "yes, this is your new little brother," and he watched with amusement as Tsubaki leaned in on her toes and kissed the baby on the head.  
Sadly it did not have the same affect now.  
Tsubaki sat in the chair bedside her brother looking at the mass of things he was hooked up to, and the number of bandages he was wrapped in. She had not asked if that was Isamu, she knew it was him by the tuffs of his vibrant red hair poking through the bandages, but she did kiss his forehead, whispering "get well little brother."  
Sakura was off with Tsunade trying to determine how to best approach this situation, it was a regular beating, no ninjutsu had been used, but he was in pretty bad shape, six broken ribs, a fractured collar bone, a broken nose, several small fractures to the skull and his right arm was broken in two places. He was having difficulties breathing on his own, which suggested swelling in his brain, and he was still unconscious although he did react when touched; always with the ripple look of pain crossing his bruised face.  
Both Hideaki and Kiku had been there with their parents, they had no information to offer about what had happened, but they could guess who was behind it.  
They explained that the night of the festival Hibiki Touji had showed up talking about how Naruto was a disgrace on the village, and at the academy the following day he had done the same thing, taunting Isamu openly in front of the class when the teacher was out of the room. Hideaki told them that Isamu had finally had enough and stood up to Hibiki, and humiliated him. It turns out that was why he had been with Sasuke asking about Naruto being a disgrace. After classes that day Isamu had left without them, saying he had something to do and he thought would bore them. That was the last they had seen of him until they showed up at the hospital.  
They explained that they had had plans the morning of the day he was ambushed, and were suppose to meet him. When he never showed up at their designated meeting place, they went to find him. They saw Hibiki instead, with his basher crew, a set of five large set boys and nine little taijutsu specialists who where know around the village for various criminal acts. The group matched the description of the kids Tsubaki had seen ambush Isamu.  
Tsunade planned on finding out exactly what happened and punishing the culprits, but not until after she had done everything possible for Isamu. And right now that was getting him to wake up.  
A hand pressed down on his shoulder, Naruto turned to see Kakashi standing beside him. "I just heard what happened," he said quietly looking at the bed. Naruto gulped, fighting back a tidal wave of emotion he had been holding back for the past day and a half. "Has anyone gone after the people who did this?" Naruto felt his head shake as he looked at his son.  
"Tsunade has been looking for ways to help him, she hasn't left the hospital since I brought Isamu in." He replied with a numb voice, "and we still don't know who did it."  
"Any ideas?"  
"Hideaki and Kiku believe that it was Mizuki Touji's nephew, Hibiki. Apparently there has been something happening between the two of them since Sasuke's return."  
Kakashi remained silent, having nothing else to say; they stood there in the room waiting for Tsunade to come in with good news.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15: The Heartbeat

He knew someone had found him. He had felt someone touching him, gently lifting him off the ground. He felt a breeze blowing across his face, he had moved from the alley out into the main street. He could hear, distantly, someone yelling but he found himself unable to understand the words. It was probably important; but he was exhausted and did not feel liking fighting to get to hear what was being said.  
There was something under him now, something soft and comforting, it was on top of him too, but it did not hurt him, not like breathing, but something was making him breath. It hurt too much, why did they keep doing that, did not they understand it hurt him. That was the one thing he could feel, and that was what they chose to torment him with. He wanted to tell them to stop, that it hurt too much; but the words would not come, he could not make his throat make the sounds, his mouth would not open to let the words leave his throat and tell them.  
What was happening to him? Why was he unable to he talk to them? Where was he anyway? He tried to look around but all he saw was a pale whiteness, he did not know any place like that, at least he did not think he did. If only he could find something he recognized, then he could find his way back home where they would not make him hurt, where they would help him feel better.  
They were doing it again; they were doing something else though, it was more than just breathing, it was his head. It felt like they were attacking his head with a club or a sword, possibly a combination of the two; whatever it was, it hurt. Make it stop, he pleaded reaching out, trying desperately to reach out to someone, anyone so that they would stop, so they would know it was hurting him.  
"I know it hurts," a whisper wrapped around him, the voice was new and strange, yet familiar somehow. "I know it hurts, but you've got to pull through." He jerked around trying to find who was talking to him, maybe this person could help him; they could make whoever was hurting him stop.  
"You've got to fight, you have to bear the pain." Where was the speaker, how did they know what he had to do? How did he get to this strange place, and why was he remaining hidden? "Hold on, it will get better."  
"Come out," he tried to call out. The words did not form in his throat, but the thought projected across the pale landscape.  
"I'm right here," he turned and saw a man standing beside him. He had bright yellow hair, like Tsubaki's and clear blue eyes like his father. But he did not look like his father, this man was taller than his father, and he seemed more in control.  
"Who are you?"  
"I am the Fourth Hokage."  
The Fourth Hokage? What was he doing here, why was he telling him that he needed to get through this? More importantly, why was the Fourth Hokage in this strange white place?  
He seemed to be able to hear this thoughts, like they were still being projected, even thought it did not feel like it had that first time he had "talked" while in this place. The Fourth smiled, it looked a lot like his father's smile, and laid a hand on his shoulder. He expected pain, he expected for a wave to come crashing over him, he even flinched in anticipation; but it never came. He opened his eyes slowly, looking first at the man, then the hand on his shoulder, then back up to the man's face.  
"I cannot cause you pain," the Fourth Hokage spoke, sounding sad. "The pain you feel, is your family trying to save you, that is why you have to bear it"  
"Why are you here?" he asked feeling the pain again, the intake of breath caused waves of nauseating pain the rippled over him.  
The Fourth gave a small, sad, smile, "I am here for you, even though I wish I wasn't here in this place," he cast a look around the strange place slowly and then back to him.  
"Why are we here?"  
"Do you remember what happened to you?"  
He thought back, he remembered very little about what there was before this white place. He remembered a place with colors, with lots of colors and people, people that looked different than him or the man; but one looked like this man, who was this man; why was he here in this white with him?  
What was he even doing here with the man? And what was this feeling, this feeling of discomfort; it was growing faint, fading away from him. He liked that; this feeling of whatever was settling over him, the fading of the thing, the discomfort, he liked this sensation. Then he looked at the man, he looked sad, his eyes especially. Who was he, and why was he so sad?  
"Why are you so sad?" he asked the man, it was more a thought than actual words, or was it words, and the thing about sounds, what he called a voice was all in his imagination.  
"I need you to focus."  
"Focus?" he asked, not understanding what he was talking about.  
"On me, focus on me," he said and started to move away from him.  
Where was he going? Why was he leaving him after telling him to do something, what had he said to him, what did he want him to do? "Focus," the man said again, holding his hand out hand. He reached for the hand, he was not sure what it would do, but he did not want to be left alone in this place, and the man, he looked sad; he wanted to know why the man was so sad.  
He glided across the white landscape, toward the man who was still moving away, still telling him to do something. He continued forward, he wanted to reach the man, to find out why he was so sad, "wait," he pleaded with the man, trying to reach him, but it became hard, the feeling of discomfort returned, it weighed down on him, smothering him, he grimaced against the pain trying to reach the man.  
The man was coming closer, sadness still etching his features but he seemed happy that he was getting closer to him, even though it caused him to feel this strange discomfort. Finally he reached him, finally his small hand slid into the man's hand; he seemed happier that he had reached the man, but he was still sad.  
"I need you to focus," the man said again, his voice was familiar, it was like someone's he knew, he face reminded him of that person too, but there was not anyone else. It was just him and the man in this white place; that was all that had ever been.  
And this pain, all he could remember was the hurt, and the more he focused on this man, on what he was saying the more he felt it, and he was not sure he liked it. Maybe he could just slip back a little, move away from the man and let the pain subside a bit. The man held his hand, kept him from going back, it hurt more; it was terrible, he wanted to get away, but the man would not let him.  
"Focus, on this," the man took his free hand and placed it over his chest, he felt it beating, rhythmically beating. He looked up surprised at the man, he was growing fainter, fading into the white. "Focus on your heartbeat," he said, "focus."  
He was alone in the white, the man completely gone, but his words still echoed around him. Why had he wanted him to focus on this beating in his chest, this thing he had called a heartbeat? He looked around, noticing that the pain was growing, it was getting heavier on him, making it difficult to move, his chest constricted, but he still felt the heartbeat; as long as he felt it, he knew the man, where ever he had gone, would be less sad. He focused on that, on the man's face, on the sadness etched there.  
The pain grew unbearable, he fell down to his knees, still holding his hand to feel the heartbeat, even though everything else was impossible. He cried out, trying to make it go away. What was causing this, why did he feel this? What was happening to him? Slowly the white darkened, turned to black, pitch black and he was lost, floating it this new blackness. The pain grew worse and worse, but he could still feel his heart, it was still beating, he was still focusing.  
A light cut through the darkness, a single beam of white, far off in the distance; or maybe it was just very small and looked far away. But it grew, or came closer, this beam adding something more than the white of the old world and the black of this current place. He watched it, the changing of his darkened world; it was color. He was in a room full of color, and the man was there.  
No it was not the man, it was someone else; someone who looked like the man. This man was sleeping though, his head was dropped on his chest, his eyes closed, his face was etched with the sadness too, this man looked like the man in the white place. But he knew this man; this man was important to him; but he could not remember why. He tried to focus on the heartbeat, that had gotten him this far… but he could not move his hand to feel his heart, the movement caused him incredible pain, he sighed and choked. Something was in his mouth, he coughed trying to dislodge the thing, it hurt more than anything he had experienced yet.  
Then, through the pain he remembered, the man was his father. His dad was there, but he did not know where he was, or why he hurt so much, but his father was there. His father would help him. He moved his hand, slowly and with great effort toward the man, toward his father.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16: "You Look Terrible."

A light touch stirred him from his restless sleep. It was cool, and light on his exposed arm. Naruto looked down at his arm expecting to see Sakura or Tsubaki there, telling him to go home and get some sleep, but it was a small bruised hand wrapped up in a cast. His breath caught following the arm up to his son's face. He was awake, his blue-green eyes were looking at him; full of pain and confusion, but they were looking at him. Naruto could feel tears welling up in his eyes.  
"Sakura!" he managed to shout moving closer to his son and taking hold of his hand. "Sakura, come quick!"  
The door opened loudly and Sakura came running in, "what is it Naru-" she stopped with a gasp seeing her son awake, she covered her mouth to keep from screaming and crossed the room throwing herself at Naruto and the bed. "Isamu," she gasped stroking his head gently, tears running down her face.

Three straight days with Kohaku, three straight days listening to Kohaku talk about something completely unimportant trying to get her mind off the fact that her brother was laying unconscious in a hospital bed. And Tsubaki was just about done with it. She knew Kohaku was just trying to help, everyone was just trying to help her, her dad and her mom, but they were not. The more they tried to "help" the more Tsubaki wanted to scream at them.  
No one understood, there were very few people in the class with both of their parents as extremely active shinobi like her, and none of them have had a sibling unconscious in the hospital, ever. So everything they said meant nothing, and the fact that they were trying to act like they did understand was annoying; especially with Kohaku.  
During lunch she finally managed to lose Kohaku and left the academy grounds. She was done with all of them looking at her like they were expecting her to have a mental break-down, like they expected her to be crying, expecting her to run off at the mere mention of the hospital or anything that could relate to her injured sibling. Well she was going to deny them the pleasure of watching the breakdown, and leave.  
She walked slowly through the crowded street watching the people. People who did not know that her brother was in the hospital, people who would not treat her differently. That was what she wanted, and she also wanted to find and pulverize the person who had beaten Isamu up.  
It would be better when he woke up, she knew, but it had been three days, Tsunade was stumped on her next move, and they could not punish the people who had done it because Isamu was the only one who actually knew who had attacked him. Everything that needed to happen was dependant on Isamu's condition, and as far as any of them could tell, his condition was a long way from improving to a point he could give them any information.  
She walked around hunched over with her hands shoved down in the pockets of the pullover jacket she was wearing. She was in a bad mood, and hopefully people would leave her be as she walked around. "Tsubaki," she knew it was too good to last. Someone just had to talk to her, someone just had to say something to her.  
She turned, about to yell, when she saw it was Sasuke. She could not yell at Sasuke, she refused yell at Sasuke actually. She stopped and waited for him to catch up to her, he was walking slowly, she tried to hide her impatience as he approached.  
"What are you doing out of class?" he asked when he finally reached her. She rolled her eyes as they started off again. "I see, tired of people," Sasuke chuckled lightly, a small smile showing on his lips. Tsubaki rolled her eyes again and rolled her head to look up at Sasuke.  
"I'm sick of people being sorry for me," she corrected, she was not tired of people, just the way they were treating her. Sasuke laughed again.  
"Tired of people," he said again smiling down at her. She did not respond.  
Maybe she was tired of people, she was tired of Kohaku; but a person can really only take so much of Kohaku before tiring of her company. And everyone else, the whole academy knew about what happened to Isamu, half the village knew what happened to Isamu. And since her parents spent every possible second at the hospital she was the one everyone saw. Tsubaki was the one who had to listen to all the questions and try to answer them. Tsubaki was one who was given condolences, the one who was seen as about to snap. She was one who was going to snap if people did not just leave her alone.  
"Yeah, tired of people," she agreed quietly, her gaze falling to the ground.  
"I know the feeling," Sasuke said clapping his hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him with surprise.  
"How? Who's been asking you about Isamu, whose been giving you pity because my brother is dying in the hospital?" she had not meant to snap, but she was reaching a breaking point, and Sasuke was acting like he understood something he knew nothing about. He did not seem offended by her snappy response; it was like he had expected something like that. Was he teasing her, trying to make her reach that breaking point?  
"I'm the only survivor of a massacre, when I was eight everyone wanted to know how I was, how I was doing, they all asked so many questions, but they never stopped to listen to me." Sasuke answered quietly. "I'm not trying to make you reach whatever limit you have Tsubaki, because I know you must be close to it. I can see it; I can see you're about to break and you don't want to talk about what's happening; you just want to be you and have everything go back to normal.  
"But it won't, and the longer you hold whatever is troubling you in, the harder it's going to be to get away from it." He continued quietly, his hands were hidden in the pockets of his jacket, but Tsubaki could seem them clench tightly. But that was not what she took the most note of.  
He saw it? He could see the pain building up behind the mask she was wearing? He knew that she was about to snap, and he was not going to make her talk about it? What kind of adult saw all this turmoil inside a twelve-year-old and did not make them talk about it? A bad one, that was for sure.  
"So what do you suggest?"  
He raised his brow looking at her, "me? No I'm not the person to ask; it took me twenty four years to let go of my problems." He said with a serious tone.  
"Then who should I go talk to?"  
"I would suggest you go to your dad." Tsubaki's brow furrowed at Sasuke. "He put up with a lot for a while," he continued sounding extremely vague.  
"What could my dad have possibly gone through?" she asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.  
"Well, you'll just have to ask him," Sasuke said with a half smile. "Now come on; I have something I want to show you." He laid his hand on her should and started leading her down the street.  
The fact that he was taking her to the hospital did not make her feel better, and it just made that mounting pile of emotions she was hiding, ready to burst past her mask. But when they walked in the door and the nurses were smiling at her, her dread started to falter. The nurses had not smiled at her in two days; they had stopped the forced smiles after the first day when Isamu was still... beyond their reach. It became hard to breath as Sasuke guided her to the room where nurses were running in and out quickly, smiling.  
Sasuke stopped at the door and let her go, she stumbled to a stop and looked back to him, he was smiling and nodded for her to go ahead. She turned back to the door, holding her breath she entered the room.  
There was a healthy supply in doctors in the room, including a few specialized medical ninja who would no doubt be there as a favor to Sakura, and a mess of nurses with charts. Her parents were sitting at the side of the bed blocking her view of the ten-year-old laying there. She made her way up behind her parents, and gulped down all the fears of what she would find when she looked around her parents down at the bed.  
His blue-green eyes met her blue eyes instantly, and a smile spread across his face, it was small and short lived as one of the doctors did something, he flinched with a sharp intake of breath; she saw his hand grab the bed sheets. Sakura turned and wrapped her arm around Tsubaki bringing her up right next to the bed.  
"Hey, Tsubaki," he said faintly, his face still contorted in pain. "I was wondering, when you'd, get here," he gasped, holding tightly to the bed sheets.  
Tsubaki did not trust herself to speak, she bit on her lip and felt the tears welling up in her eyes. She felt her mother's comforting grip and her father's strong hand on her shoulders. "You look terrible," she finally managed to say forcing a smile and wiping her tears away.  
"I don't feel too great," he said breathlessly. "You know, like, how you felt that first time, you fought mom, to prove a point?" Tsubaki nodded, "I kinda understand now."  
"Alright no more talking," Sakura said gently squeezing Tsubaki and laying her hand on Isamu's arm, he flinched but smiled up at her. "You need to save your strength," he gave a very brief bob of the head and turned to look up at the ceiling.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Jealously

After a two weeks in the hospital, Tsunade said Isamu could go home, but only if he rested more than he did anything else. Tsubaki was told that under no circumstances could she taunt her brother until he was fully recovered. Naruto was ordered not to push the boy because Isamu would take longer heal Naruto. Tsunade told Sakura that, if it came down to it, she would send Naruto out of the village for a while to give Isamu a chance to heal in peace. With all that settled, Isamu finally got to go home.  
He was still incredibly sore, his ribs were still protesting movement and his arm itched horribly beneath the cast but he could not scratch it because his fractured collarbone restricted movement on his not broken arm. So he sat in his bed all day watching the world outside his window, bored and wanting to leave the house.  
Kiku and Hideaki had been by everyday to tell him about what he was missing, it mostly made him depressed, but one thing they said had cheered him up. Because he had confirmed that Hibiki had been the one who attacked him, Hibiki and his pose had been expelled from the academy and were under constant surveillance by Anbu until the Hokage could find something to do with them, and the graduation exams had been pushed back until he was back at the Academy.  
As excited as he was about that, he was starting to reconsider being a shinobi. The ambush and beating had made him realize he was far less invincible as he had previously believed. His father was constantly talking about how Isamu would be back to his old self in no time, he would graduate from the academy and become a genin; then he could really start training with his genin team, just like they had always planned. Isamu could not just tell his dad he might not want to be a shinobi anymore, it would break his father's heart.  
After a week and a half of sitting in his room staring at the walls, his mother said he could move out to sit in the yard if he wanted, but he could not do any rough housing and he was not allowed to touch any of the shinobi training tools or practice throwing things. He did not complain, he was just glad to be out of his room. Isamu would sit out on the walk looking out over the garden basically all day talking to whoever stopped by to see him.  
One evening he was sitting there watching squirrels chase one another around the yard when his father came and sat down beside him. Isamu smiled up at his father, who smiled back; seconds later Tsubaki was on Naruto's other side.  
"There's something I need to tell the two of you." Naruto started slowly rubbing his hands together nervously, "It doesn't have anything to do wither of you, but it will probably affect both of your lives as shinobi." The two of them looked curiously up at him.  
Naruto took a deep breath and wrapped his arms around his children. "The events leading up to the Last War started the night I was born; and it had everything to do with me. I've never told you this before, because I didn't think it mattered, but if the events of the past few weeks are any indication, I was wrong."  
"What are you talking about dad? Hibiki is just a jerk," Isamu said shaking his head. Naruto sighed and shook his head as well.  
"My father was the Fourth Hokage and his wife was the host of an ancient and terrible power, a tailed beast; the strongest of the tailed-beasts, the nine-tailed fox demon. The night I was born, my mother was taken from the village for the birthing, because the ties that held the demon fox inside her were weakest at the moment of birth, and they kept everything secret, so no one would where she was or that she was having her child." He continued with the story slowly, thinking back to when his mother had explained everything to him when he was learning to control the nine-tails' chakra.  
"Growing up, no one talked to me, no one paid any attention to me, it was like I didn't exist to them. And because the adults treated me like that, so did their children, all my class mates at the academy, everyone in the village hated me. And I had no idea why until I was twelve years old. I had just failed a graduation exam and one of the instructors said he knew a way for me to graduate," Naruto took a deep breath, a sharp pain stabbing his chest as he remembered the betrayal twenty years before.  
"Touji Mizuki said if I took a scroll from the Hokage's office and learned a jutsu from it I would be able to graduate and become a ninja. So I did. I wanted to be a ninja so badly," Naruto shook his head. "That night Mizuki told me why everyone hated me. Because they blamed me for the attack on the village the night I was born, that I had become the host of the monster that had destroyed the village that night. He told me that no one would ever care about me because all they saw was the monster, and because of that I would never be a ninja."  
Naruto continued his explanation, giving the details about that night and the months that followed. He talked about the Akatsuki targeting him in order to obtain the nine-tails so they could take over the world and bring it to a new peace under their leader, Pain. He told them about the search for Sasuke, all the training he went through and how he always seemed to be two steps behind Sasuke leading up to the war. He told them about the war, how he was instrumental in the Allied Shinobi Forces because as long as the real Akatsuki leader Madara did not have him and the eight-tails, a shinobi from Kumogokure, there was a chance they would win.  
"But, why does that matter? You saved the village, no body hates you now."  
"I wish that was true," Naruto sighed. "There will always be people who can't let go of the past. They hold grudges and fall into a place where they can't see the truth, all they can see is what they want to see and have been seeing for years."  
"Like Sasuke," Tsubaki breathed thinking back to the day Isamu had woken up in the hospital.  
Naruto pulled the kids in close to him, "no matter what happens to you two when you graduate, always know that it is because of ignorance that people will hate you, and know that the only people whose opinions matter about anything, are the people you care about." Tsubaki wrapped her arms around her father, and rested her head on his chest.  
Isamu sat leaning in where his dad held him.  
That was what Hibiki had been talking about, about Naruto being a disgrace. So Isamu had been attacked because of Hibiki's ignorance of what actually happened years and years ago. That meant he had been fighting against someone that did not know or care about the truth. So this mess his body was in was completely pointless, everything he had been worried about was because people were too stupid to see what was actually happening around them.

He had not meant to walk in on the family moment, but he did and backed away slowly. Sasuke could not help but feel jealousy flooding him. Naruto was so close to his kids, a lot closer than his father had ever been with him. He clenched his teeth and his fist standing in the shadow of the house.  
Naruto had everything, and Sasuke was bumming off him. Sasuke was a disgrace, all the way down. There was nothing honorable in him, he was not worth the effort everyone put into him; he was a waste of time. Sasuke slipped back into the house and headed for the front door.  
He would not be a burden to them. He would not let them waste their time on a hopeless case. He had left once; he would leave again. And this time; he would not let them find him. This time there would not be much left of him to help.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18: The Intruder

Sasuke walked out the front door and started for the lake, no not the lake, farther than that; the Valley of the End. That would be it, the place where Naruto had failed to save him before would be the place Sasuke set Naruto free of his need to protect and save him. That would be his final resting place.  
It was getting dark, the streets were starting to empty as he walked down them. He knew people were watching him; wondering what he was doing. But people had always watched and wondered about him, why should he expect any different now?  
He made his way toward the gate. He was going to leave, make everything simpler for Naruto and Sakura and all the others. He would not bother them anymore; he would make sure of that.  
The gate was in sight, he was almost there. He started running. He had to get out before someone could stop him. He had to leave this place where he did not belong in, this world that was not his.  
He started going faster and was almost to the gate when he heard a voice. "Mister, where are you going?" Sasuke stopped and turned around to see who had spoken to him. A little girl sitting on one of the benches, watching him; she was very young, four or five, and filthy. Sasuke felt his heart skip a beat looking at the little girl, alone at his time of day; and she looked like she had been that way for a few weeks at least.  
The little girl hopped off the bench and approached him slowly. "I remember seeing you," she said looking up at him with huge brown eyes. "You came in that day the ninja threw the festival; with the Orange Ninja and the Copy-Cat Ninja." Sasuke nodded slowly. "I liked that day," she continued, "I got lots of food that day, I still have some too, if you want any." She tucked her hand into a pocket and produced a wad of paper. "It's still good; I took good care of it."  
"Don't you have anything else to eat?" he asked taking the paper wad into his hand. She looked down at the ground then, her grease matted hair falling to cover her face. "What's your name?"  
"Aki," she said in a very small voice, like she was ashamed.  
"Where are your parents?"  
"Don't have any," she said ever quieter folding her hands behind her back.  
"Why not?" she shrugged, "Where are you staying?" he saw her small hand point over at the bench she had been sitting on. "Look at me," her head tilted up, and her huge eyes made another appearance looking up at him. He felt his heart melt looking at her, "How old are you?" both her small hands came up; six fingers, three on each hand.  
What would Naruto say if he took the child back to the house? Would he accept her into their family warmly and let her live there, or would he expect Sasuke to provide for her? If he took the girl back to the house he would have to stay around; he could not just drop a child into Naruto's lap and then disappear, that would not be fair to Naruto, or this little girl.  
He knelt down in front of the girl so he was eye to eye with her, "would you like to come with me? I can get you a bed, and food, and everything you'll ever need." Her face faltered, a look of uncertainty clouded her features, and she looked back to the bench she had been sitting on.  
"Why would you take me?" she asked looking back to him.  
"Because everyone deserves a chance," he said, suddenly realizing why Naruto had come for him. Everyone deserved a chance, whether they thought they needed or not.  
They had all fought to get him his chance, now it was his turn to give someone else a chance. This little girl, Aki, he was going to give her a second chance; he was going to give her his next chance, so she could later give it to someone else.  
"I don't deserve another chance, they told me I was worthless." She said looking down at the ground. Sasuke reached out at placed his hand on her shoulder.  
"Someone once told me I was worthless too," he said, Aki looked up, her eyes meeting his, "he told me that to make me stronger, not to tear me down."  
"You would really take me?" she asked; hope shining in her eyes. Sasuke smiled, and nodded his head.  
"If you'll come with me." Aki leapt into Sasuke's chest, wrapping her arms as far around him as they would go, burying her face in his shirt.

"Has anyone seen Sasuke?" Sakura asked the general household, walking out on to the back walk to see Naruto and the kids watching the sky. Naruto sat up quickly, extracting himself from Tsubaki.  
"He's not here?" he asked in an almost panic.  
"I'm sure it's nothing, he might be up in his room." Sakura said quickly trying to calm Naruto, his worry might make him do something reckless.  
"I'm going to check, and if he's not there—I'm going to go find him." Naruto leapt to his feet and started for the back door, pushing past Sakura. They heard a door slam inside the house and the sound of someone running on the stairs, and then Naruto was back on the walk. "He's not upstairs, I'm going to go find him."  
"Naruto, stop over-reacting." Sakura said catching him by the collar of his shirt as he started to run back into the house. "I'm sure he's fine."  
Just then they heard someone walking through the house, coming toward the walk. Sakura quickly released Naruto, letting him fall with a dull thud to the ground, and looked inside. She smiled and stepped back to allow Sasuke out on to the walk.  
"Sasuke? Why do you have a filthy growth?" Isamu asked squinting his eyes at what Sasuke was holding.  
"It's not a _filthy growth_, Isamu," Tsubaki raised her hand like she was going to slap him, but after a look from Sakura, thought better of it and lowered her hand. "It's a kid."  
"A kid?" Isamu raised his brow looking back at his sister, "Why would Sasuke have a kid?"  
Tsubaki looked like she was at war with herself over whether or not it was worth it to smack Isamu. Apparently it was not, she never moved to hit him, but she also remained silent, she rolled her eyes looking back to Sasuke and his guest.  
"Because, he is giving back," Sasuke answered adjusting the girl in his arms, "this is Aki, and she'll be here with us, while I find an apartment for us to stay in."  
"Sasuke, there's no rush." Naruto started, picking himself up off the ground.  
"No Naruto, I know I don't have to, but I won't be living off you forever. I've talked to Tsunade, I start working full time in the morning and got a pay advance so I can get a nice apartment for me and Aki to live in." The little girl, Aki, smiled wrapping her arms tightly around Sasuke's neck.  
Sakura seemed like she was suffering from a small mental break down, she did not really do anything, which is what led Sasuke to believe she was having some kind of break down. Normally she would openly express whatever she was thinking, at least that was the way Sasuke remember it. But she said nothing, Naruto did not really say anything either, but at least his face had some kind of reaction. Naruto smiled and forced a grin out of it. Sasuke could tell it was forced, but he did not care.  
He had come to inform them of his decision, not ask for their approval of taking Aki in. He was just stating facts, along with his plans to find a place to live so he would no longer be a burden on them. And when there finally was a reaction it was not quite what he would have liked, but it was something.  
"Sasuke," Sakura said quietly, "can we talk in the kitchen?" she cast a look over at Naruto who nodded and started into the house. He sat Aki down and followed Naruto in, followed by Sakura who told the kids to stay out there, and gave Isamu a warning about trying anything because his broken ribs were still healing. Aki looked nervous as Sasuke entered the house; he gave her a brief smile, hoping that would convey the message that everything was fine.  
They gathered in the kitchen, Naruto and Sakura sitting on either side of him at the table, he sighed waiting for whatever they were going to say to him, or better yet what Sakura was going to say.  
"A child, Sasuke?" she asked with a sigh.  
"She has a name Sakura." He retorted almost coldly, but he kept his words and attitude in check, this was their house after all.  
"Sasuke, do you know what it takes to raise a child?" she returned ignoring his comment.  
"Does anyone really know Sakura?" Sasuke was surprised to hear Naruto sort of take his side in this discussion.  
"Can you handle a child?" she asked, seemingly ignoring her husband's comment as well.  
"Yes, I can handle a child," he scoffed.  
"While resettling into the village, and training for the chunin exams, and going on missions?"  
"Are you dead set against me in this?" he questioned anger fueling his voice. "Why can't you just be happy for me, and support my decision?"  
"Sasuke, you are going to be fully responsible for her, can you handle that while doing everything else?"  
"You manage. You and Naruto both are constantly out of the village. Together, I've been told." He looked Sakura straight in the eyes. He could see what she was thinking swirling around in her eyes. "From what I've heard, you two never stopped going on missions, but you still managed to raise two decent children. Now it's my turn." He stood and moved to leave the kitchen, "Now if you'll excuse me, I have things to do."

"We have an intruder in our midst," Isamu mouthed to his sister keeping a close watch on the small filth Sasuke had brought. She really was filthy, her hair matted and greasy, and her clothes a few days shy of being rags.  
Tsubaki did hit him, hard, on his good shoulder; he supposed he should have seen that coming, what with their mother being inside but it still shocked him that she punched him. "She's a person, and you're being a jerk," Tsubaki hissed at him.  
Isamu scrunched his face up looking past Tsubaki to the little girl. "What did he say her name was?"  
"I don't know," Tsubaki hissed back a look of almost terror on her face, she did not know the intruder's name, now she felt bad about it.  
"Let's just call her the intruder, cause that's what she is," he said looking away from the girl to his sister.  
"She's not an intruder!" Tsubaki hissed hitting his shoulder again, a little harder than before. "She our guest, if anyone's an intruder it's you."  
Isamu gapped at his sister, trying to find words to express his reaction. He had heard her talk about how she thought he was annoying sometimes, well most of the time, but how could she possible call him, her own brother, an intruder?  
"Now, let's be friendly, and talk to her."  
They both turned to face her, and saw a look of almost pure rage contorting the face of the cute little girl Sasuke had brought out. Isamu wished more than he ever had before that his ribs and arm were fully healed so he could defend himself in case she attacked, because he knew Tsubaki would not be able to cover them both if it happened suddenly. She glared over at them, with her hands on her hips, making both of the older children gulp and retreat slightly away from her, sliding on the smooth wooden planks of the walk.  
"All right Tsubaki, be nice and talk to her," Isamu whispered out of the corner of his mouth, nudging his sister with his forefinger.  
"Let's get one thing straight," the girl said, her voice sounded cold and much more mature than if should have, "I don't really care about you two, or your mother. All I'm after are the Uchiha and the Orange Ninja. If you don't want trouble, stay out of my way," venom leaking through her words as she spoke. She opened her mouth to speak again, but just as she started, they heard footsteps on the walk. All three turned to see Sasuke come out of the house, the girls face changed instantly, once again showing huge brown eyes that looked lost and scared.  
Sasuke gathered her into his arms and stalked off. The girl cast another venomous look over his shoulder at the pair of them, sending a shiver down Isamu's spine.  
"Do you ever get the feeling, this kind of thing only happens to our family?" Tsubaki asked in a whisper watching Sasuke carry the girl away. Isamu nodded, gulping; she was still casting the venomous glare over Sasuke's shoulder at them.  
"I blame you," he said quietly, "you keep letting in intruders."  
Tsubaki whipped her head around glaring at Isamu, and then with a swift motion punched him again—harder than ever—knocking the breath out of him and causing a stabbing pain to radiate from his bad shoulder. "That's for being a jerk," she claimed defiantly standing up and stalking away.

Aki maintained her vicious looks at Isamu and Tsubaki when she was certain no one was watching them, but she did not talk to them anymore. And when she spoke to the adults she spoke in a sugary sweet voice that projected innocence and seemingly brainwashed the three adults. Sasuke was sucked in the most, he always kept her close when he was at the house, holding her in his lap and playing with her, going with her out to the playground and got her enrolled at the Academy. He was trapped by the innocence that no one could see was fake.  
Three days after Aki joined them, Sasuke announced he had found an apartment and at the end of the month he would be moving out. That also happened to be the day Sakura finally determined Isamu was fit enough to return to the Academy, escorting Aki on her first day. He had groaned inwardly at the news that he would have to take the intruder to the Academy, but Sasuke had to meet for special training early the next morning and could not take her; apparently she had specifically asked for Isamu to walk with her.  
Kiku and Hideaki met him and Aki outside of Isamu's house the following morning; Tsubaki had gone ahead early because she said she had to talk to Kohaku about something, but Isamu knew it was to avoid the intruder. The pair gave the little girl suspicious looks, but remained quiet. Isamu noticed that although it was not quite as innocent as the look she gave his parents and Sasuke; she saved her death glares for him and Tsubaki.  
They hardly talked on their way to the Academy that morning, Isamu was slightly frightened about saying anything in front of Aki, he wanted to avoid giving her something to use against him later. His friends obviously just did not want to say what they wanted too in front of the strange little girl. When they finally made it to their homeroom, they still found it impossible talk because everyone had to come talk to Isamu, most of them had never come to see him during his recuperation, and he really did not want to talk to them, but he held his tongue; better to just let them get it over with now than worry about them coming to him all day long.  
The sensei started class by welcoming Isamu back and then started reviewing a jutsu they had learned the day before. Lucky it was something Isamu already knew, so he could finally talk to his friends. They leaned in close, Isamu between the other two so he would not have to move too much to talk with both at the same time.  
"So what's with the little girl?"  
"The Intruder?" Isamu hissed in reply, "Sasuke brought her, and she's evil."  
"That little girl is evil?" Kiku sounded shocked, her face matched her tone, "she seemed so nice." Isamu glared over at her before shaking his head.  
"Yeah that's what we thought too, but when mom, dad and Sasuke aren't around, or anyone else, when it's just me and Tsubaki, she gets all," he shuddered shaking his head, "cold and vicious looking, and talking about 'getting' dad and Sasuke."  
"Why?" Isamu shrugged in response.  
"You're guess is as good as ours," he huffed, resisting the urge to lay across the desk with the exhaled breath, his ribs were still mending and leaning across the desk would have to hurt a bit more than he could stand at the moment. "But there is something messed up about that girl."

Aki sat alone in the back of the classroom, thinking about her current assignment. The Uchiha had fallen hard for her charm, she had yet to meet anyone who could resist her when she was trying, her doujutsu made it impossible. She had prepared against the Sharingan, if he used it at any point during the crucial first encounter, she had a backup plan; she had spent hours preparing a disguise that would make her as irresistible as her technique did in a way the Sharingan could not expose. She would have him no matter what happened during that first encounter.  
And it had worked perfectly, he had not even suspected her; no one ever suspected her. This was her fourteenth and fifteenth targets; the Uchiha and the Orange Ninja of the Leaf, two apparent suckers for little girls with huge brown eyes. This assignment would prove to be a touch challenging, she had never gone after two at one time before; and she would have to complete it within hours of taking the first life. Not to mention all the people around them, a whole house filled with people; including children.  
They posed a problem to her assignment, her jutsu had no affect on children and these children were old enough and smart enough to defend themselves and help in when they picked up on what she was doing. She had to move fast, she had a lot to accomplish before those two spoke up about what they saw. Hopefully she could keep both of the men wrapped around her finger and they would not believe the other two.  
She could only hope she could act fast enough.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19: Genin Teams

Considering he was severally out of practice, that he was still extremely hesitant with any and all movements, Isamu was surprised he graduated. It might have been the instructors were taking it easy on him because of his incident. But they handed him a headband and smiled as he left the room to join Kiku and Hideaki, who had both already gone and received their headbands.  
Kiku squealed when he came out of the examination room, and jumped up and down, obviously keeping herself from tackling him in excitement. Hideaki gave him a good thump on the back, careful not to hit his bad shoulder, or jar him around too much. Isamu grimaced at the hit, but smiled through it; this was the best day of their lives.  
At least it should have been.  
He knew he would have to tell his father at some point that he was not excited, that he did not want to be a shinobi; that he was scared of what might happen when he was a shinobi. He would also have to tell Kiku and Hideaki, who had always been a part of his dreams of greatness since they were little, that they would have to go separate ways because he did not feel like he could be a shinobi.  
He would have to tell them that, and it would tear his father apart. Kiku would have a mini-melt-down; she had been planning their careers out as shinobi since they met at the academy at five years old. And Hideaki, Isamu really did not want to think about Hideaki's reaction, the cool clam on the outside would most likely shatter revealing the—well Isamu was not entirely sure what Hideaki was like behind the clam, but he imagined it was a bit like a caged beast.  
He was so busy thinking about what would happen when he finally spoke up about his indecision he could not enjoy what should have been the best day of his life.

"Tsubaki, I'm so nervous. What if the jutsu for the exam is one that I'm terrible at? And I'm terrible at a lot of jutsu!" Tsubaki was not sure if Kohaku had actually breathed in the last minute, her face was turning slightly blue, and she kept going and going and going about how she might fail, and she would never be a kunoichi, and she would have to live with her parents until they died and then she would not have anywhere to live as an old woman.  
"And what if when I get back there I freeze up and can't mold my chakra and I can't do anything? Or what if I can't remember the hand signs, or what jutsu they want me to do? I can't, not pass Tsubaki! I have been dreaming of becoming a kunoichi since I could talk, probably even before that!"  
"Kohaku, breathe," Tsubaki took hold of her friend's shoulders and took a deep breath, "In, and out." Tsubaki sighed seeing the blue fade from Kohaku's cheeks. "It's nothing, just a single jutsu; and probably one we've known forever. So, Kohaku breath," she prompted, "this will be a piece of cake."  
Kohaku opened her mouth to speak again, but the sensei called her name; she gave Tsubaki a nervous, wide-eyed glance just before she entered the small examination room. Kohaku was back in a few minutes, a huge grin plastered on her face and the blue headband gripped firmly in her hands.  
Before long it was Tsubaki's turn, and when she returned with her headband Kohaku attacked her with an excited squeal. They were told that they were to meet again the following day for team assignments, and were dismissed for the rest of the day.

They were celebrating. There were a dozens of people there, and the Uchiha made her come, she was not sure what they were doing, why they were celebrating, and she did not care. Except that the fact that this celebration was making it difficult for her to complete her assignment. She had planned to strike that night, it had been a few weeks, she was sure she had all the information she needed and had an acceptable plan of action, to make the first kill, followed shortly by the second, and then disappear; reporting back to headquarters to receive a new assignment.  
She was running out of time to complete the assignment, she had another five days before she really needed to start worrying, and if they maintained this group thing with a lot of people she would never get the chance to take out the Orange Ninja. The Uchiha would be easy, she was alone with him in that apartment every night; but she could not leave the Orange Ninja alive; that would be an incomplete on the records, and a failure on her. A failure that would most likely lead to her demise.  
This had to pass and quickly, she could break it up; but there were a lot of children in this group, six or seven around the age of the Orange Ninja's children, they would see through her if they looked closely, and if the Orange Ninja's children told any of them about her true nature, they would never believe she was as innocent as the adults did. She would have to endure and hope that the need arose for her to be separated with the Orange Ninja and the Uchiha, and accomplish what she had set out to do.  
Her chance did not arrive that night.

The meeting room was over crowded, there were forty-two people gathered into the room built for twenty-four, and more than half were roughhousing making the other half squeeze together against the walls. It was all harmless, and if the room was not so packed, no one would have really minded except for the sensei who walked in, just as one of the smaller boys involved got thrown at the door. The sensei yelled, catching the boy around the waist and sending him back into the room.  
"All right, every one settle down!" he said standing behind the desk in the front of the room, the crowd scattered, pushing and shoving to get seated at the desks. "I said settle down! The sooner you settle the sooner we can get started and then we can have recess while the Jonin assemble." The room fell silent, as the last of the new genin found a seat, or a place to sit along the wall.  
"Congratulations on graduating, now you will be broken down into three man cells, based on skill levels, and will be assigned a Jonin team leader. These are the teams…" he progressed to read off a list of names, broken down into teams.  
There were fourteen teams and a lot of thought had gone into the development of the teams, all the graduates had been about equal with a few outstanding students, and they could not all be placed together, it would offset the teams. But not all of the teams would become full-fledged genin, most would fail the rest of the graduation exam and would either return to the academy or give up on being shinobi, so they had had to make sure that the best were together so that they might pass the next test and train with jonin and advance as shinobi.  
A lot of time and energy had gone into the development of the teams; and judging by what these kids were doing when the sensei came him, he could guess that more would fail than they had originally expected.

Kiku was squealing and bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet, it was just like she had planned, she had been assigned a team with Hideaki and Isamu; and they would be awesome because she was excellent at ninjutsu, Hideaki was sometimes too smart for his own good, and Isamu was a just spectacular at everything! Well not at the moment because he was a little broken, but he would be all healed up in no time and then they would be an awesome team and go on missions and become the three greatest shinobi since the sannin.  
"Jeez, Kiku would you stop squealing, it's giving me headache?" Isamu asked lowering himself slowly onto a bench on the veranda. She bit her lip and slapped a hand over her mouth. "Thank you," he sighed running his fingers through his hair.  
"I'm actually surprised she didn't just full out scream during the meeting," Hideaki said settling down next to Isamu watching Kiku bounce, and that was when she screamed. Isamu flinched covering his ears and waited for the ear-shattering scream to stop, then laughed to himself sitting back up.  
"She was saving it for us," Isamu responded to Hideaki's last statement.  
"I'm sorry, I can't help it! We did it, we're genin and we're on the same team, and we'll go on missions and become the most awesome shinobi ever!" she squealed jumping with excitement.  
"Yeah, but can you keep it down a bit please," Hideaki asked massaging his temples, "You'll disturb the whole area with that scream of yours." Isamu tried to hide a smile at the comment, and Kiku's face, which fell dramatically and formed into a vicious glare at the boys on the bench.  
"Fine, then I won't share the awesome, special, congratulatory dessert my mom pack for lunch today with you." She said crossing her arms, "and it's really good too." She said sourly turning her back on them. Isamu could not help but laugh at the expression that flooded over Hideaki's face. Kiku's mother always made the most delicious desserts and always packed enough for all three of them, and that was on a regular day; it was no doubt amazing today for the special occasion.  
"Oh come on Kiku, that's not fair, it's the truth!" Hideaki said trying to earn the dessert back. "Please, I won't be mean anymore, not ever!" Kiku turned her head just enough to see over her should, Isamu could see the smile on her face, but apparently Hideaki could not. "Come on, I'll even help you with your genjutsu, and taijutsu, and whatever else. I'm sorry."  
Isamu saw her drop her smile into a pout before she turned around. With a voice that mimicked reluctance she said, "alright, I forgive you. But if you go back on your promise about not being mean to me anymore, I'll never talk to you again." Isamu laughed to himself shaking his head, well at least they would not be fighting when they met their Jonin leader.

Daisuke, she could handle, he was fun to be around, most of the time… Katashi was the polar opposite of Daisuke, if the somewhat stern, somewhat crazy and somewhat lazy person had a polar opposite. Katashi was set in stone, all about the rules and the minute details of everything; he was good at everything…Daisuke was a go-with-the-flow kind of guy but a stickler for perfection, but only in his jutsu; other than that he really did not care about anything.  
And then there was Tsubaki…  
She really did not think she was going to like this. Especially considering that Daisuke and Katashi had started fighting the moment they were dismissed for lunch. And there were still fighting, and the hour lunch was almost over… she could just tell, she was not going to like this at all.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20: Kakashi-Sensei

Tsubaki had a sneaky suspicion as to who her jonin sensei would be when the three of them were left alone after the other teams had all gone to talk with their leaders. And true to form, the boys were fighting again, this time because of Daisuke's decision to skip out and go to the park to play with the little kids; he loved playing with the little kids there. She had to admit skipping out would be way more entertaining than just sitting in the empty classroom waiting for their Jonin leader.  
"You can't just walk out without meeting our team leader." Katashi scolded from his position in the front row of desks. Daisuke sighed dropping his head on his desk by the back door of the classroom.  
"I wouldn't have too if the Jonin leader was here on time." He responded, for what felt like the billionth time to Tsubaki in the last twenty minutes, his voice muffled.  
"He's our sensei, he would have a good reason for being late, and we are not going anywhere until he shows up." Katashi said evenly, not even bothering to turn back to look at Daisuke.  
"You might not be, but if he isn't here in the next few minutes I'm leaving." Daisuke retorted, looking back at the door over his shoulder.  
Tsubaki sighed propping her head on her hands. This was not what she had been expecting for a team when she graduated from the academy.

Kakashi stood outside of the classroom listening in on the conversation his newest students were having. So far Tsubaki had been silent, but knowing her it would only be a matter of time before she exploded at the boys, and that time was no doubt very close.  
"Will you two stop fighting!" she shouted, Kakashi grinned behind his mask, he had been right.  
"It's not me! It's that stickler down there!" One of the boys shouted instantly, standing up and pointing at the other.  
"You're the one who wants to skip," the other boy responded simply, he did not yell just spoke in a normal tone.  
"You're both idiots, did either of you even stop to consider this could be a test or something?" there was not an instant response, not even a delayed response; there was just silence coming from the classroom.  
"Well, looks like it's time to make my appearance," he sighed reaching out for the door.  
The door slid open to reveal Kakashi-sensei, she had been right about who their teacher was. _Great_, she thought to herself.  
"Sorry I'm late, I got lost of the road of life." He said flatly, Tsubaki could not help but smile, she had heard that more times than she could count.  
"You're our jonin leader?" Katashi asked, she could picture him raising his brow at Kakashi. Kakashi nodded.  
They moved outside, to the roof. Tsubaki sat as far away as she could from Daisuke and Katashi without looking like she could not stand their company; which really was not very far from the truth. Kakashi sat in front of the three of them, or rather leaned against the railing, his arms folded across his chest watching the three of them with his regular eye, for all the world looking bored out of his mind. Daisuke and Katashi sat close but had their backs turned on each other.  
"Alright, let's begin with introductions. Say your name, your likes and dislikes, your hobbies and dreams for the future." One of the boys must have rolled their eyes, Kakashi's eye jumped over there. "You can go first."  
Tsubaki turned to see Daisuke sigh and run his fingers through his hair, moving dark shaggy hair out of his face. "I'm Daisuke Nakata. I like having fun," he shot a look over his shoulder at Katashi, "and I like taijutsu, because it's fun. I dislike sticklers for the rules," his look at Katashi fell to a glare. "My hobby is gymnastics. And my dream is to be an awesome gymnast."  
"If you want to be a gymnast, why are you a shinobi?" Tsubaki could not hold back the question.  
Daisuke shrugged, "It seemed like fun." Kakashi sighed shaking his head.  
"Alright, you next," he pointed at Katashi.  
Katashi straighten up and cleared his throat. "I am Katashi Sonkei. I enjoy the order that comes from following the rules, and I have a severe dislike of people who believe that it is amusing to break the rules. My hobby is reading and learning, and my dream is to one day be a jonin and become a genin team leader."  
Tsubaki nearly busted out laughing at his last statement. Katashi, a genin team leader? That was the most hilarious thing she had ever heard.  
Kakashi rolled his eye over to her next, she looked back at him with the same look she had given him every time he had asked her a ridiculous question for as long as Tsubaki could remember; it was a mixture of are-you-serious and I-really-don't-want-to. He did not look away, not that he usually did, but she still tried anyway.  
"Why don't you tell us about you, before I go?" she asked almost innocently, she heard Daisuke chortle and Katashi gasp in shock, and grinned to herself.  
"Me?" he asked sounding shocked, although he had probably been expecting that question before it came to her. "My name is Kakashi Hatake. My likes and dislikes: I don't really feel like telling you that. My hobbies: I have lots of hobbies; and my dreams for the future: I haven't really thought about it." She could see the smile in his eye, of course he would not actually tell them anything. But again, she had to try anyway. "Alright, you're up."  
Tsubaki sighed, "My name is Uzumaki Tsubaki, I like a lot of things, such as winning. I dislike losing and people who are stupid enough to fight all the time about pointless things," her eyes flashed over to the boys briefly. "My hobbies are shopping and taking long walks, preferably quiet ones, and my dream for the future is to be as great a shinobi as my parents."  
"Well, as expected you are all unique." Tsubaki held in another laugh. "Tomorrow we'll have our first mission. It's something the four us will do together, bring your shinobi tools and meet at the third training field at dawn." The boys moved to leave, "and one more thing; don't eat breakfast, or you'll puke." Tsubaki saw Daisuke's face blanch; and Katashi gulp several times. "You're dismissed."  
Daisuke and Katashi disappeared quickly, but Tsubaki took her time getting up. She was the most interesting character of this team, not shallow but still not totally focused on her jutsu. But at least she was better than her mother had been when she was twelve years old.  
Tsubaki stood and looked up at the middle-aged jonin, "so, Kakashi-sensei, do you want to go grab some ramen?"  
Kakashi chuckled standing up. "Sure, and you can tell me a bit more about your team mates." Tsubaki groaned loudly as they started for Ichiraku.

"Oh, come on Tsubaki; they can't really be that bad." Kakashi commented as they sat down at a table in the ramen shop, she had been talking about Daisuke's complete lack of focus and self-preservation and Katashi's lack of flexibility for anything.  
"Have you ever seen me and Isamu argue?" she asked; he nodded, it was a very common, almost expected from the two from anyone who spent time with Isamu and Tsubaki. "Take one of those and multiple it by like a million and you've got what those two have been doing since we were assigned together."  
"I think you're blowing it a bit out of proportion." He hoped he was right.  
"I wish I was blowing that out of proportion," she sighed. "So how about you be truthful here, what are the odds this team is going to be any good?"  
Kakashi sighed rubbing that back of his neck, "I'd say not very." Tsubaki dropped her head onto the table and mumbled something he could not make out. "But then again, neither were your parents." He was fairly certain she screamed into the table at that point.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21: Haru-Sensei

She was a short person, not much taller that Isamu or Hideaki who still had not hit their growth spurts. She was short and did not seem awesome enough to be a jonin, she seemed a lot like those old ladies in the flower shops that grinned at children and called them adorable and similar things, not a highly trained kunoichi.  
Kiku must have been thinking along the same lines, her plans had never specified a jonin leader, but she was most likely expecting someone a bit more—tough looking. She was pouting looking up at their new leader. Isamu could tell she was a few seconds away from saying something she would regret later.  
Apparently so did, Haru-Sensei.  
"Is there something you want to say?" the jonin asked sweetly, a smile spread across her face.  
"I was expecting someone more, well," Kiku stopped searching for a word.  
"Kiku, looks can be deceiving," Haru-Sensei spoke in the same sickly sweet tone as before. "Look at Isamu, he doesn't look like a new genin, he looks like a veteran injured in battle." Isamu sub-consciously moved his broken arm behind his back. "And you and Hideaki don't look ready for the trials of being shinobi."  
"I'm ready to be a kunoichi," Kiku said defensively, crossing her arms. Haru-Sensei shook her head, her eyes staying focused on Kiku.  
"We'll see, won't we," Isamu heard her mutter under her breath, the smile remaining. It was a little creepy how it never faltered; and how her eyes stayed focused in on one place, never moving around to take in what was around her.  
"So what are we going to do now?" Hideaki asked, drawing Haru-Sensei's attention away from Kiku. Haru's face brightened a little.  
"Well we have a mission, a survival exercise more like, in three hours." She looked around at the three of them; "it's at the twelfth training ground, it is imperative that you all be there on time with your shinobi tools. And I would suggest you refrain from eating between now and then; it might get rough and I would hate for any of you to be sick."

"She's really weird," Kiku commented after Haru-Sensei had finally dismissed them. "Did you see her eyes? They never moved."  
"I've never heard of her before, and I know pretty much every jonin in the village." Hideaki said, mentally running through all the jonin in the village. "I wonder why she wouldn't be in the rosters." Isamu shrugged as they started down the stairs heading for the main entrance of the academy.  
"Maybe she was listed as something different, I've heard people in Anbu go by different names when they take their masks off." He offered as they reached the bottom of the stairs.  
"Then we have an Anbu for a sensei assuming a very misleading name." Kiku pushed open the door and allowed the boys to go out before her. They reentered the bright sunlight down on street level talking about their new sensei.

Three hours later put them with two and a half hours before sunset, right around suppertime, so they were getting hungry. But they went ahead, hungry, to meet at the twelfth training ground and find out what kind of survival exercise Haru-Sensei had in store for them.  
The twelfth training ground was a lot of wooded hills with a massive lake in the center, there was a river running in from the north into the lake and two coming out of the south. According to the only map they had managed to find of the training ground there was an assortment of caves littering the area, along with various species of vicious animals and sudden rocky cliffs that dropped a good dozen meters into the trees.  
It was the first time Isamu, Hideaki and Kiku had ever been in this particular training ground; it was normally reserved for journeymen, or jonin working on new jutsu. The entrance gate was locked when they arrived with a little less than ten minutes before the appointed meeting time.  
"She's not here," Kiku said looking through the fence at the dense trees.  
"Well we are a little early," Hideaki offered uncertainly joining her at the gate.  
Isamu looked back down the road, it had been a fair walk out here, and it was long a mostly straight road; if anyone was near them, they would have seen them. So where was Haru-Sensei?  
He turned back to Kiku and Hideaki, they were thinking the same thing; they had to have been? "Something about this doesn't feel right guys." He said moving to join them, he saw something ominous moving just out of their vision in the trees, and shuddered taking a reflexive step backwards.  
"She should be here any minute," Hideaki sounded even more uncertain than he had before.  
"Well," Haru-Sensei's bitter sweet voice cut through the tension in the area making the hair on the back of Isamu's neck stand on end, "it seems you three have passed the first part of my little test." Kiku whipped around so fast her pack became disheveled on her shoulders.  
"How is showing up to an appointed meeting, a test?" she asked.  
"Well, Kiku, that's for me to know," Haru-Sensei left the sentence uncompleted, which possibly angered Kiku more that her strange attitude; Kiku was fuming. Haru-Sensei watched the three of them with small beady eyes, stopping on both Hideaki and Kiku for the longest and then skimming over Isamu her gaze resting on his broken arm. Then she walked between the three of them up to the locked gate.  
She unlocked the heavy pad-lock, with a key she pulled from her scroll pouch. The lock fell to the ground with a heavy thud; she put the key away and then turned back to face the three of them. "You will have until sunset, all three of you must each land a punch, a kick, and use a ninjutsu and genjutsu effectively before then. You'll have to come at me in all seriousness; otherwise you won't be able to do accomplish anything."  
Isamu looked at Kiku and Hideaki, they were both looking to him. He was the stagiest here, his innate ability to devise moves a few steps ahead had given him that title in actual combat; normally it was Hideaki. But if they were doing this all on the spot it would be his quick thinking that got them through the test. He took a deep breath and gave them a reassuring nod, they nodded in return, and the three of them turned to the gate.  
Haru-Sensei smiled as she pushed open the gate and waited for them to pass through. She came in after them and closed the gate. The three of them were suddenly alone in the strange place known as the twelfth training ground.

There was just under an hour before sunset, they had not seen Haru-Sensei since they first entered so they had not completed any of the required specifics, but they had trapped several animals in genjutsu, exhausted their supply of ninjutsu, and had on more than occasion had resorted to just plain out beating the animals into the ground. They had stayed together and tackled each obstacle quickly playing off strengths and in a rotation careful not to get anyone in a situation they were unable to handle.  
They came to a stop on the banks of the river off the north side of the lake, dropping their packs to the ground and looking around to make sure there was not any danger near them.  
"How much time do we have?" Kiku asked pulling more kunai and shuriken from her pack to replenish her holster. Hideaki looked up at the sun, or what he could see of it through the thick foliage.  
"I'd say about an hour," he said kneeling down by the river and cupping his hands to get a drink.  
"Then we should head back for the gate," Isamu said shouldering his back again. "I don't want to be in here when it gets dark."  
"But we still haven't found Haru-Sensei."  
"Or accomplished our task."  
"I don't care. Whatever we've seen in here, we've seen in the day light; we are not sticking around to see what comes out when it gets dark." Isamu left no room for argument. "If we fail then we fail, I'll take full responsibility for it. Now let's get going," he waited for the other two to pick up their packs and then led the way back toward the gate.  
The shadows grew longer and longer, and the noise of the forest grew louder and louder. They could see eyes looking out at them, see shadows stalking them, and felt the presence of a massive threat just out of their vision. They stayed close, a weapon in hand and kept hoping they would reach the gate before whatever was watching them decided to make its move.  
Ismau stopped suddenly and dropped to his knees, he was in a cold sweat and shivering, holding his broken arm very close to him, like it had been attacked or something. Hideaki whipped around looking for the source of the problem while Kiku went to investigate the situation. Isamu pulled away from her, his eyes wide filled with terror. She straightened and looked around the immediate area, there had to be something there that had triggered this, then she saw it.  
A pair of paper tags on either side of the path they were following.  
She rose and walked over to them, the words were faded, but the paper looked new. "Hideaki," she called as loudly as she dared, "come look at this." He was there instantly, sidestepping around Isamu who was still clutching his arm in a state of panic.  
"Tags," he reached out and pulled one from the tree. "I can't make out what they say though."  
"Would they have something to do with Isamu?" Kiku asked casting a wary eye at her friend.  
"Could be," he crumpled the tag in his hand and turned to Isamu. "We should see if we can release it."  
"And if we can't?"  
"We carry him out and find someone who knows how to handle this." Hideaki said definitely.  
Kiku nodded and moved next to Isamu, she went to lay a hand on his back but he pulled away, like he was scared she would hurt him. Kiku looked back at Hideaki, uncertainly; who motioned for her to try again, she was better at genjutsu than he was. She clenched her jaw, and took a deep breath, and reached out and grabbed Isamu's arm.  
"Release!" Isamu fell over to the ground, unconscious.  
"Pick him up quick." Hideaki ordered. Kiku tore the pack from Isamu's back and tossed it over to Hideaki, then pulled Isamu up on to her shoulder. He was a little bigger than she was, but she would have to manage; they did not have time to waste with an unconscious comrade on their hands. "Let's go!" Hideaki took the lead, constantly looking back to see how Kiku was fairing with Isamu.  
The sun had more or less vanished behind the tree tops when they finally reached the gate. Hideaki ran back to Kiku and took Isamu and helped get him out of the training ground. After all three of them passed through the gate, it swung shut and the heavy padlock reappeared, as if it had never moved. Breathing heavily, Kiku fell to the ground, letting Hideaki lower Isamu.  
"That—that—" unable to find a suitable word to describe Haru-sensei, Kiku screamed falling back to the ground. "Sending us, into that, into that place, it's a wonder we didn't—we didn't die."  
"What was she thinking!" Hideaki shouted in a rare moment of anger. "We're genin, how are we suppose to navigate a hell like that!"  
"I'd say you did rather well." The bittersweet voice cut through the air. Kiku and Hideaki swung their heads around to see the short woman sitting on the ground smiling at them. "All three of you returned together, which is better than most teams who go in there."  
"We only barely made it out!" Hideaki shouted, "Look at Isamu! He's unconscious!" Haru-Sensei rose to her feet with what sounded like a 'tut-tut' and walked over to the unconscious boy.  
"Well, it seems to me, he's caught in a genjutsu." Kiku looked about ready to lash out and kick the woman in the shins at that moment; the only reason she did not was because Hideaki shot her a nasty look.  
"Can you release it?" Hideaki asked through gritted teeth.  
"Why yes, I can. Can't you?"  
There was no time to stop it; Kiku lashed out, and kicked Haru in the shins, sending the woman to the ground. Then Kiku was on top of her, ready to throw a punch into the jonin's face. Hideaki was on her within seconds, pulling her away from the older woman.  
"Take it off him." He threatened, straining to keep a firm hold of Kiku.  
"My, my, aren't we very badly behaved," Haru-Sensei commented sitting up. Kiku strained even harder against Hideaki's grip. Haru-Sensei got up and walked over to Isamu, touched his back and then stepped away.  
At first he did not move, but then he started to squirm around clutching his arm, then he suddenly sat up, looking around in a daze.  
"Congratulations you all pass." Haru-Sensei walked away, leaving the three genin speechlessly watching after her.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22: Kakashi's Test

They met well before dawn, the sky was still inky black, but the stars had all faded away. It was a cloudless sky, with a cool breeze cutting through the long grass around them; they all arrived at different times. First was Katashi, always early for anything if he had any say about it. Then Tsubaki, arriving just a few minutes early. Last came Daisuke, running full out to make it to the meeting place on time; according to Katashi he was a full forty seconds late, and that was worthy of severe punishment.  
"Quit griping; seconds don't count, only minutes do." He replied hotly crossing his arms, "so I'm on time!"  
"You should have been here early like us." Katashi motioned to Tsubaki who had sat down on the ground yawning.  
"Don't get me involved," she tried to say through the yawn. "I'm not going to be part of all your stupid arguments." She said when she finally got the yawn out. "I get enough of that with my brother."  
Daisuke eyed her suspiciously for a moment then grinned, and slid over next to her. "I get it," he teased, "you can't decided which of us you like better, so you're just not going to disagree with either of us until you know which one you like." Tsubaki glared up at him, debating whether or not to punch him in the face. He probably deserved it, but Kakashi might be watching them; her father had talked about how Kakashi had observed them without their knowledge when he and her mother were genin, so there was a possibility he was there now watching the three of them.  
She determined not to punch him, but he still deserved punishment for his comment; Tsubaki lashed out and hit Daisuke in the sternum, sending him back-pedaling and onto his backside. Satisfied she turned back to Katashi to see if he had something else to say. He took a small step back shaking his head. That settled, Tsubaki leaned back on her elbows and waited for Kakashi-Sensei to arrive.  
It was well over an hour before he appeared, in which time Daisuke decided to take a nap, Katashi preceded to kick him to awaken him, the pair got into a wrestling match, somehow managed to include Tsubaki, both got beat up by their enraged teammate, and then sat in frightened silence waiting for Kakashi.  
Kakashi walked toward them with a hand buried in his pocket and a book in the other. When he reached them, he snapped the book shut and put it in his scroll pouch. "Sorry I'm late; a black cat crossed my path this morning, so I had to go the long way." Both of the boys cast a wary eye at Tsubaki, who had forced them to sit on either side of her so they would not be tempted to attack each other again, with a sigh she stood up and motioned for the boys to follow suit.  
"Now then, on to our task for today," Kakashi pulled an alarm clock out of his pack and set it down on the ground. "This alarm clock is set to go off at noon," he pulled a pair of bells out of his scroll pouch; "you have until then to get these from me. If you don't get a bell you don't get lunch, and you go back to the academy to take the graduation exam again."  
"What?!" Daisuke and Katashi yelled in unison.  
"That's not fair, we already graduated!" Daisuke found something else to yell first. "You can't just send us back to the Academy because we didn't pass you're stupid test!"  
"Actually I can." Kakashi said in his monotone fashion. "Not all of the graduates will continue on as genin, most will be sent back to the Academy. There's a three percent chance that you three will remain a genin team with me."  
"But one of us will go back, you only have two bells." Katashi observed looking at the jonin.  
"Well then, I suppose it will be even more of a challenge to get the bells before another teammate." Katashi and Daisuke shared a brief glance, sizing each other up, Tsubaki thought grimly, then turned back to Kakashi. "You will be allowed to use any ninja tool you have available, and come at me with the intent to kill. On my mark, we will begin." He looked around that the three genin, a smile hidden behind his mask. "Begin!"  
He was gone in a cloud of smoke.  
"Okay, we need to form a plan to-" Tsubaki stopped mid-sentence noticing that both Daisuke and Katashi had run off in opposite directions. "First I have to get them to help me." Tsubaki muttered under her breath forming a fist, "then I'll have to beat some more sense into them."  
So far Tsubaki was the only one who seemed to realize that they needed to work together, but she had been unable to find either of the boys, since they had taken the skill of being unseen to its highest level. Kakashi knew she was smart enough to not try to attack him on her own, she would take the time to pull at least one of the boys in, both if she had the time, and form a plan of attack. It was the boys he would have to worry about.  
Based off his observations and what Tsubaki had told him, the two did not get along in the slightest, they did not even consider each other a rival like Sasuke and Naruto had. So they would each try to pull something off, which would ultimately fail, then go back and devise a new plan. It would not be hard to out match them, they lacked the skills necessary to be any type of real threat on their own.  
But if, and that was a very big if, Tsubaki managed to get them to work with her, there was a possibility that they would get the bells. Tsubaki was not like the other two, she understood teamwork, and had most likely figured out it would take all three of them to get the bells. Her biggest obstacle here was to get the required help from Katashi, the know-it-all, and Daisuke, the lay-about. But that was a very big if… at least that's what he thought.

She had a plan, a really good plan, she just needed her two idiot teammates to make it happen.  
Her plan was to have both Katashi and Daisuke attack Kakashi-sensei at once, he would have his hands full, granted they actually took the opportunity to work together, or he would be busy gawking at the stupidity of the boys; either way, that would allow her time to come up behind Kakashi and snatch the bells. So she just needed to convince both boys that they would be doing this without the interference of the other. They have to stay separate and not be able to full see everything at the time of the attack, she would have to signal them somehow. That was when an idea struck her, now all she needed was the boys.  
Tsubaki tracked down Daisuke first; he was being an idiot in a whole new manner, setting snares to catch the elite jonin. She refrained from beating him unconscious, that would hardly help her cause, she reminded herself mentally several times. She did however take the pleasure of giving him a solid thump on the back of the head.  
Daisuke vaulted forward and got caught in his own trap. "Why did you do that?" he shouted fighting to free himself.  
"Because you are an idiot." She said it slowly to ensure Daisuke understood what she was saying. "Now listen up." She grabbed the rope Daisuke was caught in and cut him free. "If we want to get those bells, we have to work together."  
"And leave the stingy know-it-all out to be sent back to the academy?" Daisuke's face lit up at the thought of getting Katashi taken off his team.  
"Whatever, now listen." She grabbed his shoulders and forced him to pay attention. "I'm going to circle around behind Kakashi-Sensei, I will cause a distraction so that you can rush forward and grab the bells. When I'm ready to strike I'll let off a shrill whistle, you got that?" Daisuke sat in silence for a moment, mulling the plan over. It must have checked out feasible to him, because he nodded. "Now repeat it back to me."  
"You're going to sneak around behind Kakashi-Sensei and whistle. When you whistle you're going to distract him so that I can rush up and grab the bells. Then the two of us will have the bells and Katashi will be sent back to the academy, because he's-"  
Tsubaki cut him off before he could finish, "good. Now wait for my signal."  
Tsubaki slipped away from Daisuke, who returned to setting his snare traps, like they would actually accomplish something, and started her search for Katashi.  
Katashi was difficult to find. He was laying in a low bush on the clear opposite side of the training ground, apparently waiting for Kakashi to come that way. Tsubaki saw his feet sticking out of the back side, and approached him light-footedly. When she was right behind him, Tsubaki reached out, taking hold of both Katashi's legs, and jerked him out violently.  
Katashi screamed madly and tried to crawl away. Apparently the know-it-all was not as macho has he pretended to be. Tsubaki pounced on him, slapping her hand over his mouth. "Hush or you'll give away our position." She hissed rolling off Katashi when he finally stopped resisting her.  
"What the hell was that?" Katashi started to yell, but thought better of it when Tsubaki glared at him.  
"I have a plan," she gave Katashi the same plan she had given to Daisuke. Not surprisingly Katashi was as ecstatic as Daisuke had been at the lack of a third person in the operation. He readily agreed to the plan and then moved into a designated position where he could see the jonin, reading his book.  
He had not seen anything out of the three of them, really not surprising for Tsubaki who would not attack without some form of back up; but it had been an hour, normally someone makes a move before then. He sighed rubbing the back of his neck, could he have overestimated their ability to put their differences aside for this task? There was a small possibility that he had, it had as a good a chance of being right as Tsubaki had of getting both of those boys to help her.  
Then, suddenly, an ear-piercing whistle cut through the air. On his left and his right came movement, both quick and seemingly out of touch with the fact that someone was approaching from the other side of their target.  
Kakashi waited until the boys were practically on top of him, then leapt back; hearing the slight jingle of the bells at his waist. He turned to see a flash of blonde hair sweep across his side and take the bells from him. He landed lightly, an amused grin hidden behind his mask. Tsubaki had managed to get the boys to help her.  
He turned to regard the team, and saw the boys throwing punches at one another. Okay, so maybe she did not get them to work together knowingly, he thought dryly watching Tsubaki come between the two of them. With a swift motion she had both boys on the ground, staring up at her. "Here," she tossed a bell to each of them and then turned back to Kakashi.  
"Well, that was rather, unexpected," he admitted rubbing his neck again. Tsubaki gave him a deadpan look. "You all pass," he sighed, "even though I think Tsubaki did all the work here."  
Satisfied Tsubaki smiled and turned back to her teammates. "Now then, are we going to work together as a team, or am I going to have to beat some much needed sense into the two of you?"  
Nervously both boys shook their heads. "Good, now come on; I'm starving." She turned back to Kakashi, dropping the stern look she had been giving the boys.  
Kakashi could not help but laugh at the expressions on the boy's faces.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23: Betrayal

The apartment was small, but it had two bedrooms and that was what mattered. Sasuke was proud that he had found the decent apartment and was able to move in so soon; now he could begin his new life, with Aki.  
Sasuke was busy all the time. He was training frequently in preparation for the upcoming chunin exams the next summer. He had missions with his genin team, a pair of teenagers who had yet to pass the exams, he spent time with Kakashi redeveloping his ability with the Sharingan, years of hiding the Kekki Genkai had made it virtually useless except for quickly sapping all his chakra, and he made time to spend with Aki, he refused to ignore her. When he came in at night he was exhausted from training, but he still made time to play with the six-year-old little girl.  
She smiled sweetly up at him when he came in at night, holding her hands out expectantly and wrapped him in a hug. As they ate together, she told him about her day, all the things she was learning and what she was having difficulties with. When he had time he would go with Aki to work on the things she was having difficulties with, she always seemed to pick it up quickly giving Sasuke a huge confidence boost.  
One day, while Aki was still in classes and Sasuke had the day off, he ran into Naruto and Isamu, who was beaming. "Hello Naruto, Isamu." He greeted with a smile, a genuine smile.  
"Sasuke! Look!" The boy shouted happily displaying his left arm, free of the cast, with a mighty punch toward Sasuke and then up in the air with a triumphant yell. Naruto grinned and clapped the boy on the shoulder.  
"Easy, remember what your mom said," Ismau lowered his arm slowly, casting a sheepish grin at his father.  
"I'll bet it feels good to be out of that cast," Sasuke commented with a smile, earning a grin from Isamu.  
"It does," he agreed vigorously. "I feel like I could take on Kakashi-sensei right now!"  
"Don't get ahead of yourself," Naruto laughed. "I'd rather you not fight Kakashi until you have a bit more experience."  
"I could take him," Isamu crossed his arms looking determinedly at the ground, nodding and once again looking exactly like his father. "Tsubaki got too, and she won." Sasuke's face fell into shock at the words.  
Tsubaki had fought against Kakashi-sensei, and actually won? That did not sound possible, unless he was getting soft. "Tsubaki actually beat Kakashi-sensei?" the disbelief was evident in his voice.  
"She has Kakashi for her jonin leader," Naruto explained. "Apparently she managed to make her two teammates work together without their knowledge to distract Kakashi while she slipped in behind him and took the bells."  
"Still counts," Isamu commented under his breath. Naruto laughed.  
The pair moved to leave him, when Sasuke remembered he needed to ask them something. "Naruto!" he called, stopping Naruto and Isamu in mid-step. "I'm going out of the village tomorrow morning for a mission, can Aki come stay with you while I'm away?"

He was late.  
Things were already severally off schedule, and he was making it worse by being late. He had a mission in the morning, she had gone through everything in the small apartment to find out when he would be leaving the village. If she killed him the night before, it would give her the night and possibly a large chunk of the morning to get rid of the Orange Ninja too.  
But he was late.  
If she went off now, there was a possibility he would come in and then he would wonder where she was, he would worry. He would be on edge, he would be looking for things out of place, and she would be under pressure; that would lead to a mistake. She could not afford a mistake, not this time. A single mistake would lead to disaster because unlike before there were two targets, two targets in separate places, with a vast network of support to bar her attempts. No she could not just wonder off to find him; she would have to wait until he returned.  
Aki sat at the table in the little apartment watching the door and waiting for his return. Her mind reeling through her plan, she watched each action she planned to take, looked and accounted for every detail that could or would change the outcome of this, the first phase of the last part of her mission. She was ready for this, she had been, but so many things got in her way; this had been delayed for far too long, she would already be in trouble back at the base for taking so long so she had to make certain there were no more delays, and that there were no mistakes.  
He came in finally, much later than he ever had before, she was growing agitated by the came through the door.  
"Sorry I'm late," he said as the door closed behind him, "But I had to settle a few things. I'm leaving on a mission tomorrow," he continued entering the kitchen, "I've arranged for you to stay with Naruto while I'm away."  
She watched him out of the corner of her eye, watched him walk around the table to the cabinets, he put something away and moved to a new place, her head turned slightly to keep him in view.  
This was it, this was the moment she was waiting for; she went to pull her kunai, her hand wrapped around the handle when there was a knock at the door. She cursed silently to herself, another delay.  
"Who could that be?" he asked aloud walking from the kitchen back to the apartment door, patting Aki on the head as he did so. Before he reached the door the visitor knocked again, a bit more violently; he hurried to open the door. Tsubaki stood there, her hands shoved into the pockets of her pullover jacket.  
"Sorry, Sasuke." She apologized entering the apartment at Sasuke's beckoning. "I know it's late but Dad said it was important." Sasuke closed the door.  
"What is it?" What could possibly be so important that Naruto would send Tsubaki over, he had spoken with him not even an hour earlier.  
Tsubaki sighed, giving a half smile, "Dad said that he said Aki could stay with us while you were away on mission, but when he got home he discovered mom is sick."  
"Is it serious?" Tsubaki shrugged.  
"Just a chest cold, but dad didn't want to bring Aki in because he doesn't want her getting sick too, and he's fairly certain another kid in the house will just stress her out more." She gave a brief laugh, it sounded almost forced. "Oh yeah," Tsubaki said suddenly pulling something out of her pocket, "mom sent this for you." She handed Sasuke a small package.  
"What is it?" he asked starting to tear open the packaging paper. Again the girl shrugged. He watched her cast a glance over his shoulder, to Aki, and shuffle uncomfortably from one foot to the other several times.  
He dismissed the gesture, it was late and she would have more likely than not been training today and would be ready to sit down. It did not mean anything, he told himself, the only thing behind him was Aki, and she was just a little girl.  
He turned his attention back to the package Tsubaki had brought. It was a non-descript white box under the brown packaging paper, one that opened on three sides lifting to the right. With a smile creasing his face, Sasuke opened the box and shifted through the packaging to find the item in the box. Out of the packaging came a small, mostly, yellow Maneki Neko speckled in black spots rimmed red holding up both paws. Sasuke grinned pulling out the small beckoning cat.  
"It's a house warming gift. Me and Isamu picked her out it took a while to find one with that coloration." She smiled up at him, "Isamu insisted we find a neko with red to ward off evil spirits," again he noticed her look over his shoulder, "I would have just settled with yellow and," she stopped mid-sentence, her shoulders tensed and she inhaled a short breath.  
Then he felt the cold steel in his back, tearing through his flesh, and felt the warm sensation of his blood flowing down his back. He jerked reflexively forward into Tsubaki, who caught him and lowered him gently to the ground. The world started to grow dark, his vision faded, but before it faded fully he saw Tsubaki pull a weapon and lunge at Aki, who was welding a bloody weapon, the one which had just been used to stab him in the back; both literally and figuratively.

The bright lights dazed him as he looked up, his eyes fluttering open slowly. This place was white, all white and very silent. Testing his body, in inhaled slowly to see how far he got before something started to hurt. It did not take long, and he scowled clenching his fist and hitting the bed beneath him. He had been betrayed.  
That little girl, she had done this, it must have been a ploy right from the beginning, and he had fallen for it like an idiot. Was she even a little girl? She had seemed so innocent when he found her, had that been part of her ploy? The ploy he had fallen for, which had landed him here; where ever he was now.  
And Tsubaki!  
He sat up, or tried to. He stopped suddenly gasping in pain and feeling the warmth of his blood again, he had reopened whatever that, whatever she was, had done to him. He fell back on to the bed again, trying to remember something else, something that would tell him what had happened to Naruto's daughter.  
He remembered she had pulled a weapon, a kunai, to use against the kunai Aki had, and he could vaguely remember hearing the beginning of the encounter, but not enough to know in whose favor it had been. Or what had happened as it progressed. He cursed slamming his fist down onto the bed again.  
Why did this always happen to him?  
He took a slow breath, careful not to over exert his wound, in through his nose to help him remain claim. He looked around the room, there was a single flower in a vase sitting by the window, along with something else; a trio of Maneki Neko. A solid yellow one, a solid black one and a solid green one; setting just behind the set was the one Tsubaki had brought over that night. That reminded him, her behavior had been odd, the shuffling and casting glances over his shoulder, and her comment about Isamu, he had insisted for the red on the cat to ward off evil spirits.  
But the red on the Maneki Neko did not keep evil spirits away; the black did that… so why had he insisted for the red? What did the red signify on a Maneki Neko? Good health, he remembered that, but so did yellow. There must have been a specific reason Isamu had insisted on red. But what was it?

Daisuke was about to reach Kakashi's last nerve, a very difficult thing to accomplish, Naruto had not even been able to manage that and Kakashi was certain Naruto had tried several times. He was lounging on the ground, his hands folded behind his head, eyes closed, humming some strange tune Kakashi had never heard before tapping his foot in an irregular rhythm. He did not care about a thing they were doing—not they were doing much at the moment—and had even said so when Kakashi arrived, an hour late, to find the two boys separated by several yards and no visible sign of Tsubaki.  
That had surprised him, but they were not doing anything urgent, so he had decided to wait for her. An hour later had him ready to attack Daisuke to get him to move, and attack Katashi to get him to join his teammate so they could at least try to start something. As he was waiting for Tsubaki he noted how much nicer things were when she was there to keep the boys straight, one look from her would get Daisuke up and moving, and could stop Katashi in mid-anything and bring him in to work as a team with the other two, even if he refused to say anything to Daisuke except to comment about how horrible he was… Kakashi sighed wishing Tsubaki would hurry up and get there.  
He was just about to give up when he saw a flash of red coming through the trees, accompanied by a silver haired person and a brown haired person. Isamu and his team, Kakashi thought watching them approach quickly. The three of them came to a stop before the silver haired jonin; he noted they were all loaded with gear, packs bulging full to capacity. Isamu approached him, looking around at the two boys off in their separate worlds, his face grim.  
"Kakashi-Sensei," he said curtly, his focus snapping to Kakashi. "Is Tsubaki here?" Kakashi shook his head. He saw Isamu's face wrinkle in… anger was the best word Kakashi had for the expression, which was rare on this child's face. The other two, Kakashi noted, shared similar expressions, one of them muttering under their breath.  
The arrival of the three younger genin must have sparked Daisuke's interest, he opened his eyes and propped himself up on his elbows to see, hearing their question he laughed. "Does it look like Tsubaki is here?" Isamu cast a venomous glare over at the boy.  
"That would seem to be the problem, wouldn't it," he came back snapping. "No one has seen her for fifteen hours. The last known person to have seen her was Sasuke, and he's been wounded and hospitalized. That little intruder has gone missing too."  
"Intruder?" Kakashi looked at the boy with shock. He had known about an intruder and did not report it, that did not seem like something Isamu would do. Isamu gave a brief nod.  
"The girl Aki, we believe she has something to do with Sasuke's injuries and Tsubaki's disappearance, all three were at Sasuke's apartment last night when the incident occurred. Sasuke was found early this morning, he lost a severe amount of blood from a wound believed to be aimed at his kidneys, he was transported to the hospital immediately; however Tsubaki and the girl were nowhere to be found." The silver reported careful to keep his emotions in check Kakashi noted.  
"We were told to come see if Tsubaki had made contact with any of you this morning," the other said looking around at them, her gaze resting on Katashi who was remaining noticeably out of the conversation.  
"I haven't seen Tsubaki since we finished training yesterday morning," Daisuke said losing interest in the subject and returning to his lounging. The three members of the other team, in unison, turned a spine-chilling glare upon him. He opened one eye to look at the trio and then sighed sitting back up. "What?"  
"If she's not here, that means a member of your team has been captured by an enemy operative. What makes this situation worse is the fact that there is no evidence as to who the enemy is or when the abduction happened. That means you need to get up and start preparing for a search and rescue." The girl advanced on Daisuke, who moved away from her much like he did when Tsubaki was threatening him.  
Then a new face appeared, a squat dark haired woman, also loaded down with a fully supplied pack. "Report," she barked. Isamu and his team snapped around to face the woman, who had appeared next Kakashi.  
"No one has seen her since yesterday Haru-Sensei," Isamu reported.  
"Plan of action?" Haru asked, gazing expectantly at them.  
"We report to the Hokage, and make ready to pursue in hopes that we can reach the abductor and the two possible prisoners before the situation becomes critical," the silver answered quickly.  
"And if it becomes critical?"  
"We fall back and await back up." The girl answered, Kakashi saw Isamu's jaw tense at her words; he would not like that, Kakashi comment to himself, and he had no intents of falling back to await the back up.  
"Alright, let's move."  
The four of them were gone instantly.  
"You Know Kakashi-Sensei, I'd say they were serious about Tsubaki being missing." Daisuke said rising to his feet; it took all the self-control Kakashi had not to hit the boy, or his teammate who did not seem to care that the third member of their team was missing.

It was not long after he awoke that the door to his room slid open. Sasuke turned to see Naruto enter the room, he looked solemn; that meant bad news. Naruto must not have expected him to be awake, he was shocked when he looked into Sasuke's eyes, and gave a very forced grin.  
"Glad to see you're awake," his voice was strained; he sounded tired, and looked it too. How long had Sasuke been here? What had happened in that time? He could easily guess based off Naruto's expression.  
"What happened?" he asked, he needed to know.  
"Tsubaki has been abducted, and Aki has gone missing as well." Naruto answered lowering himself into the visitor's chair. "No one saw them leave, no one has seen anything between the time Tsubaki entered your apartment last night and when your team found you this morning when you were late for your mission."  
Naruto was looking at him, looking at him with weary eyes that were pleading for him to give some clue as to what had happened in his apartment the night before. He sighed and looked up at the ceiling, trying to avoid looking at Naruto, avoiding letting his eyes give away that he believed the worst was in store for Tsubaki, from a girl they had all believed was innocent and incapable of doing anything.  
"It was Aki," he said quietly, looking up at the white of the ceiling. "She attacked me while Tsubaki was there telling me about how Aki couldn't stay with you because Sakura had a cold."  
"What?" there was a lot of surprise in Naruto's voice, Sasuke turned back to him.  
"She was over there last night because she said you sent her to say that Sakura was sick and you didn't want Aki to come over and risk catching it." Naruto was shaking his head.  
"No, that's not true. I never sent Tsubaki over there, Sakura isn't even home, she left on a mission yesterday morning with Rock Lee and Kiba." Naruto dropped his head down into his hands; his eyes closed his mind absorbing everything Sasuke had just told him.  
Tsubaki had no reason to be at Sasuke's apartment, he was sure of that. So what had possessed her to go over there?  
"She brought me a Maneki Neko, the yellow one with the black spots," He pointed over at the four cats on the table. "She said it was from Sakura, but that was probably a lie too. She said she and Isamu had picked it out, they had been looking for a cat with yellow, black and red." Sasuke was still unsure as to the why they wanted the red, and Tsubaki's comment about the red was still puzzling him.  
Naruto's head popped up to look at the cats, his eyes looking over them critically, stopping on the yellow spotted one. "I helped them find that," he said standing up and walking around the bed to the four Maneki Neko. "They said they wanted one with red and black to keep away evil spirits."  
"But red doesn't keep away evil spirits." Sasuke commented before he could stop himself.  
"No, no it doesn't," Naruto agreed, with a smile holding the cat in his hands. "The red on a Maneki Neko is for good health, and to exorcise evil spirits." He turned to Sasuke then, his eyes wide, "Sasuke, do you think the reason they needed red was because they knew there was something going on? What if they knew what the girl was up to?"

Isamu ran into the hospital, he did not have much time before they were leaving and he had to see Sasuke to confirm that Tsubaki had been there when Aki made her move. He ran up the stairs, taking them three at a time and skidded around corners hurrying to reach Sasuke's room. "I hope he's awake," he muttered under his breath, the door to Sasuke's room finally coming into view.  
"Sasuke, I need to ask you," he stopped short finding his father standing in the room, holding the Maneki Neko they had searched for to give Sasuke. "Never mind, you're busy." He tried to back out, but a look from his father stopped him short.  
"What do you need to ask Sasuke?" he asked as Isamu slid the door shut.  
"It's nothing, if you two are busy talking about something."  
"We were talking about the cat you and Tsubaki searched for, with this specific coloration," Naruto held the figurine out for Isamu to see. Isamu's eyes jumped from the cat in his father's hand to Sasuke.  
Yeah, that would be a good thing to talk about, he thought, if only we got it a bit sooner.  
From Sasuke his eyes fell to the floor. "We can't help but think this little cat has something to do with what happened to Tsubaki and Aki," his father continued crossing the room.  
"And that you know something no one else does." It was Sasuke who spoke to him.  
How could he respond to that without fully giving everything away? If Aki took Tsubaki it would be to use her as bait to get their father. And if Naruto found out now, so would Sasuke, then Sasuke would blame himself for what happened, and then they would do something drastic, which would end up with them going after Aki, which would play right into her hand. He could not answer the question without putting both of them even closer to danger than they were with Aki loose somewhere. He could not answer the question.  
"I need to know if anyone else was in the apartment besides you, Tsubaki and Aki last night," he said hoping to get out quickly, "my team was assigned to find the attacker, I need information." His eyes flashed over to Sasuke.  
"No, just us. And it was Aki,"  
"That's all I need." Isamu interrupted, then turned and left leaving the two men speechless.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24: The Search for Tsubaki

There was hardly any time before they would be leaving, going off in search of Aki, there was barely any time for anything, but they did have time for a brief, private conversation. They met in their old hideout, the alley behind Ichiraku.  
"What did he say?" Kiku asked dropping down onto her knee.  
"He said it was Aki," Isamu answered pacing across the narrow alley. Since Sasuke had confirmed that Aki had made her move there was little to guess what was going to happen now.  
She must have assumed Sasuke would bleed out during the night, which was why she did not stick around to make sure he was dead before she took off, taking Tsubaki who would have seen that attack, because Sasuke had the Maneki Neko. Knowing she could not leave Tsubaki as a witness to the attack or after she knew the plan, Aki would have taken Tsubaki hostage, altered her plan to use that turn of events to her advantage, she would have a hostage that she could use to get to their father.  
"Are we going to tell Haru-Sensei about her?" Isamu looked up at Hideaki's words.  
Tell Haru-Sensei, why had he not thought of that before? She was not right in the middle of what was going on, she would look at this situation objectively and determine how to best move in order to successfully complete this mission. By telling Haru-Sensei, they would have a much higher rate of reaching Tsubaki before Aki moved to kill Naruto. And with Haru-Sensei calling the shots, it would remove the chances of him doing something stupid in an attempt to save Tsubaki.  
"We can't tell her," Kiku responded while Isamu was thinking about the benefits of including Haru-Sensei. He whipped around, his face obviously showing shock about Kiku's statement. "If we tell her you'll get pulled from the mission. All she knows is of a possible abduction, not that the abducted is your sister or that the success of this mission is so critical to you personally because of what Aki wants to do to your dad."  
Kiku had a point, and Isamu was certain he had to be part of the mission, he was the one who knew Aki's plan; he had to be there. So they had to exclude Haru-Sensei in some of the details, all she needed to know was that it had been Sasuke, Aki and Tsubaki in the apartment the night before. As far as the three of them knew, Sasuke, Naruto and the three of them were the only ones who knew that Aki had attacked Sasuke, they should be leaving before that information made it much farther, so they would be able to keep that to themselves.  
"She's right, we play it close to the vest, don't tell her anything if she doesn't ask for it directly."

"You three are late." When they arrived at the gate, Haru-Sensei was getting impatient, they could tell because her arms where crossed and she was tapping her foot. They technically were not late, it was roughly ten minutes before they were suppose to leave, they had run to make up the time for their secret meeting, when they came into view of the gate and the small irritated jonin they felt a little guilty. Haru-Sensei demanded they be fifteen minutes early for everything, it was some strange habit she was pressing upon her team.  
"Sorry, Haru-Sensei," the said together, giving her a short bow.  
"Let's get going," she said turning away from them, "we've wasted enough time already."  
There was nothing to go off of. No clues to identify, no trail to pick up, an unknown enemy with an unknown number of hostages. She knew that going in, she had specifically asked for this mission when Uchiha Sasuke had been found in his apartment; saying that she wanted her students to experience something like this, and that they were ready for something like this.  
She had been watching them closely over the past few months, watching their progress, their teamwork had been excellent from the time she first met them and had only improved in giant leaps, and their individual skills where developing just as fast, if not a bit more. They were ready for this challenge. The Hokage had disagreed with her, saying the set of eleven-year-olds were not ready for something so challenging.  
"Had they been shinobi children the same time as their parents, no one would have stopped them to shelter them from a challenge," she had said to the Hokage.  
Lady Hokage had frowned at the statement, most likely finding the truth of the statement distasteful. "This isn't that time, we are not at war, nor fighting with any organizations or individuals. This is a peace time."  
"Then why has the child of a Jinchuuriki been targeted?" she had responded, "and not for the first time, the younger child of the Jinchuuriki was attacked months ago by the nephew of a known traitor. You cannot say we are at peace when people are making moves against the village, even if it is only through Uzumaki Naruto and his family."  
That had displeased the Hokage more than her original statement had. "If we do not prepare the genin for such things, when war breaks out again, which it ultimately will Lady Hokage, how can we expect them to make the best choices to come back alive?" that had angered the Hokage, actually angered her.  
"I can see your point," the Hokage had finally said, very grudgingly Haru had noted, "but that doesn't mean I agree with you."  
"Then allow me to take them out, just for a few days to try their hand at tracking and finding what isn't there. If we find something, we'll return and you can send a more experienced team for the retrieval of Tsubaki and anyone else this attacker has taken hostage." It was a good proposal, logical through and through, the Hokage could not just turn it down because she felt the retrieval would be too dangerous for the genin.  
The Hokage had remained quiet chewing on her bottom lip for a few minutes; minutes that had been allowing someone take a shinobi of the Hidden Leaf farther away and closer to a possible death. But she finally gave the okay. "But only until you find the attacker and the hostages. Then you report back with location for a chunin team to handle."  
Haru had taken it. And now she was putting her students to the test.  
There was at least a fifteen-hour lead between the departure of the hostages and departure of this team. No one near Sasuke's apartment could recall anything about what had happened between the time that Tsubaki entered the apartment and the time that Sasuke's team entered the apartment that morning, it was a blank in their minds, even when the Yamanaka clan had helped with the investigation. There was nothing there to use as a clue, nothing to find so that her team could easily pick up a trail, they would have to use every resource they had to get anything here. She was putting these kids to the test, and she knew they could handle it.

The sun was setting; a whole day had passed since whatever had happened in Sasuke's apartment happened, a whole day and they had nothing to show for it. Haru called for a break when the sun sunk down behind the canopy, saying they would take a few hours to rest and regroup before continuing on trying to find something that would lead them to their target.  
Isamu sat down on the ground looking around to make sure they had not missed anything before they stopped. Kiku sat down right next to him, her pack already off her shoulder and opened, looking for her rations. "I'm starving," she commented at Haru's gaze.  
"What do we do now Haru-Sensei?" Hideaki asked sitting on Kiku's other side.  
"You three rest, we'll have a two hour break then continue on. We have a very short window of opportunity to catch our culprit and rescue the hostages." She responded pulling her own pack in front of her.  
"Don't you need to rest too?" Isamu did not want anyone tired when they finally came face to face with Aki.  
"I'll be fine, you three just be ready when I say it time to go—Kiku if you eat all that now you will not be sharing with everyone else!" she added seeing Kiku start to devour all of the food she had brought for the four day trip.  
"I don't get what we're looking for, there's nothing here." Hideaki whispered to Isamu pulling his own food out.  
"There must be something here, or else we wouldn't be here." Isamu replied quietly, still looking for something that they might have missed.  
"Can't be. There's nothing there to see." Kiku said through a mouth full of food, "nothing there."

Haru woke them from a very light sleep, Isamu sat up noticing that the stars had somehow managed to shine through the thick leaf foliage and that there was a mark on one of the trees. He was not sure how he had missed it before, because it was a rough cut through the hard bark of the towering tree. It appeared to be roughly made, like the carver was in a hurry and meant for it to be concealed; that must be why he had missed it, it was right in the middle of a knot so that someone would not see it; but at the same time someone else could find it.  
"Haru-Sensei, look at this," he said walking up and investigating the cut. It was fresh under thirty-six hours old. Haru was beside him looking at the tree, a smile spread across her face.  
"I think this is the something we were looking for." She cast a glance back at Kiku, "and that Kiku said wasn't here."  
"I'm allowed to be wrong when I'm hungry," she said weakly pulling her pack onto her shoulders and picking up Isamu's.  
Haru shook her head and turned back to the mark. "What do you think Isamu?"  
"It's fresh, and looks like they are heading North," He answered running his finger along the cut.  
"And you think it's from Tsubaki?" Hideaki said joining them and looking at the sign.  
"Maybe, maybe not. We won't know unless we keep going, let's move out, before we lose our trail."  
They set off quickly, keeping a close eye out for more subtle signs to mark their path. They did not find any more until they stopped again at dawn. It was under twenty-four hours old. The team smiled at the discovery.  
They were catching up.  
Now that they knew what they were looking for, they could see the signs more often. Who ever had been leaving the trail was making it hurriedly, trying not to be seen by whoever was holding them captive; Isamu knew it was Tsubaki.  
The team moved quickly, but studying the markings to get proper bearings took more time than they liked. There was a feeling of dread that settled over them when it took longer than usual to determine which direction their target was moving, they knew during that time the gap was getting bigger, like Tsubaki was slipping through their fingers.  
Isamu was trying to push them, Haru was insisting they took the time to ensure their conclusions were correct, Kiku constantly found signs that were going in different directions, and Hideaki wanted to take half an hour every time Kiku found one of the side markings to make sure they were on the right trail. The team was in a constant circle of events that slowed them drastically.  
"I found another one!" Kiku called out stopping beside a long rip stretching around the trunk of a relatively young tree. The others stopped to join her, this mark was heading off in a different direction from the trail they had been following, but it was not accompanied by one heading slightly northeast, it was heading straight east.  
"Isamu, Hideaki, scout ahead and see if you see anything." Haru ordered moving in to look at the marking. The boys gave a brief nod and started off.  
The mark was deeper where it started to veer away from their current path, stretching a quarter of the way around the tree trunk, becoming lighter until it was only a light scratch running into nothing on the far side of the tree. There was sap leaking out of the wound, it had not congealed yet so this was the freshest mark they had found.  
It could be that our target has changed direction, Haru thought to herself. Thinking back she could tell that there had been a slight change in direction, from the village they had been heading straight north, but it had gradually changed to northeast. It could be that their hideout was to the east, and they had overshot the direct route, or they had been moving to this point for a direct route. Or it could be a trap, Haru commented to herself dryly.  
"Haru-Sensei," the boys were back, from the sound of it, they had not seen anything. "We scouted ahead a hundred meters, we didn't see anything." Just as she thought, so they had changed direction.  
"Let's get going." They started out east, noticing that their trail markers were more noticeable. Whether or not that was a good thing, they did not know.

Sakura was fussy.  
Really fussy, Naruto and Sasuke had long since decided to stay out of her way while she systemically cleaned the house; for the sixth time. The first time she had started in on the house Naruto simply thought it was time to clean the house, it had been about a week since the last time she and Tsubaki cleaned. When Naruto went to get Sasuke to bring him to the house, they determined he would stay there rather than go back to than go back to the apartment until it had been completely swept for some clue about the attacker, she was starting on a second sweep of the house. After they ate lunch, she started on the third cleaning.  
Naruto tried to stop her then, and instantly regretted it when she started shouting. When Sasuke tired, Sakura broke down crying. After that the two of them just stayed out of her way, offering her something to eat around dark and somehow convinced her that staying up all night would not help either of her children, she slept restlessly and awoke before dawn and started cleaning again.  
"How many times has she done that?" Sasuke asked watching as Sakura started scrubbing the outside walk. Naruto shrugged.  
"Nine, maybe ten times," he offered watching her run up and down the walk with the rag. "Maybe fifteen, I don't know how long she's been up."  
"Should we stop her?" Sasuke asked moving away from the window he was watching her through. Naruto shook his head.  
"After her reaction yesterday? No thanks, I'll let her clean."  
"How long do you think she'll do this?" Sasuke asked after a few minutes. Again Naruto shrugged. "Has this ever happened before?" And again Naruto shook his head.  
"What do you think is happening?" Sasuke looked over at his friend, Naruto was worried; his daughter was a hostage, and his son had been sent out to locate Aki. If something went terribly wrong he would lose both of his children. He knew Naruto was not looking for the truth; he wanted some small comfort, just like Sakura.  
"They're both going to be alright," Sasuke said laying a hand on Naruto's shoulder. Naruto gave him a smile, their eyes meeting. "Now, I think we need a new distraction for Sakura." He said turning back to the woman, who was moving to a new part of the house.  
"Alright, but you're going to bring it up, she didn't yell at you." Naruto grinned clapping Sasuke on the shoulder. Sasuke felt his stomach drop, he felt his luck running out where Sakura's temper was concerned, facing her did not exactly seem like a wise idea.  
"Or," he said mildly, gulping, "we could just let her do her thing."  
Naruto grinned, "come on, I think we could both use a good distraction."

The trail maintained an eastern heading, diverting slightly through rough terrain and coming back to the original path. Whoever was leaving the trail had either been discovered or the captor had become careless in maintaining the captives. They hoped for the second, but realized that it was more likely than not the first. It did not deter them, they continued on quickly, making plans for how to attack once they finally reached their destination.  
"When we reach their hideout, no one makes a move without my say so." Haru instructed around noon. "If we can help it, we won't fight. Our mission was to find their hideout; a more advanced team is coming for the retrieval. Am I clear?"  
Kiku and Hideaki nodded their understanding, it was a good thing Haru was leading the group and did not see that Isamu was not going to just sit back when they reached wherever they were going, or she would have stopped them there.  
Think what you want, Isamu thought speeding along at the back of the group, but there is no way I'm letting any of this information get back to the village unless that girl is finished.  
They came across a temple, laid back into a mountain. The gates were covered in paper prayer tags, and warnings against evildoers. Haru called for a halt when the temple gate came into view.  
"Haru-Sensei, do you think this is where they're hiding?" Kiku asked coming up beside her.  
"Yes Kiku. Now our next move is to enter the temple and find out all we can to help the team coming in after us." The three of them nodded to their Sensei and started forward.  
They crossed through the gates, across the temple yard to the bell. The four of them slid into the shadow of the bell looking around. The temple seemed empty, and like it had been that way for a while.  
They made ready to move to the main hall when a flash came from the building, and a paper bomb exploded overhead. The bell rang loudly as it came crashing down onto the ground, narrowly missing them as the dove out of the way, splintered wood falling around them and the dust cloud rising up around from the collapsing building.  
"I think we found them," Hideaki scanned the sides of the main hall, looking for the person who had set off the paper bomb. "And I think we found a fight."  
"You three stay together, and try to get back to the gate, I'll cover you." Haru said standing up and pulling a kunai. "Now go!"  
Hideaki and Kiku started for the gate, but Isamu stayed where he was, looking up at the main hall. Aki would be there with Tsubaki, he needed to be in there; he was the only one who fully knew what was at stake here. He took a deep breath, mental preparation for what he was about to do, and then started running. Past Haru-Sensei, across the yard, straight for the temple steps.  
"Isamu! No!" he heard Hideaki shout, but he did not stop; he had to get in there.  
"Isamu what are you doing?" he heard Kiku, heard the worry in her voice as he mounted the temple steps taking them three at a time.  
"Isamu! Get back here!" Haru-Sensei shouted as he made it to the door, he did not slow as he entered the temple.  
The doors closed the behind him with a echoing thud. He whipped around and saw a bar fall into place; no one would be coming in after him.  
He was alone now.  
Good, no one would be able to get in his way.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25: His Father's Son

"I must say, I am impressed," Aki said with a malicious grin spread across her face. "I didn't think your brother would be the only one to come after me. I had hoped for the Orange Ninja." She did not sound displeased that it had been her brother not her father who had come after her.  
"Dad had a mission," she lied, she did not have much else. "He left the village the night you attacked, he wouldn't know anything about this!"  
Aki smiled and crossed the room she had set up as her hideout for this phase of her plan, she stopped right in front of Tsubaki, her transformation making her look like a child a thing of the past, the tall lithe woman rested her hand on her hip and leaned forward so her eyes were level with Tsubaki, who was tied to a chair. "Now, now," she cooed gently patting Tsubaki's cheek, "it's not polite to lie." She said the last through gritted teeth striking Tsubaki across the face.  
"You don't know if I'm lying or not," Tsubaki shouted back, straining against her bonds again. "You got out of that apartment so fast, you don't even know if Sasuke died!" The woman laughed, a cold bone-chilling laugh.  
"I am a master of the art of killing, child. I have studied the human body for years, I know what I'm doing. I stabbed that idiot right in the kidneys and tore through three vital organs, there was no way he survived; and if I stayed there too long," she grabbed Tsubaki's chin, pulling her head forward, "someone would have seen me leaving with you, my beauty." She pushed Tsubaki back roughly standing up straight.  
"So what are you going to do now?"  
The woman pursed her lips and dropped her eyes into a point looking at Tsubaki, her silvery-blonde hair falling to cover half her face. Reaching a decision she smiled, the same smile she had given when she was assuming that she was a nice, loving person. "Well, your brother will have to be taken care of, I don't know of many people looking for boys," she mused crossing her arms, "I suppose I could keep him myself, but keeping little boys is quite expensive." She shook her head, dismissing the thought, "but after that I'll complete my assignment and kill your father, then me and you, deary, will disappear from this country for good."  
The woman left after that, left to go prepare for her fight against Isamu, leaving Tsubaki alone. "Not if I have anything to say about it," she muttered as the echoing footsteps faded, and the final thud of the door closing reverberated across the room. Tsubaki strained against the ropes holding her in place, they looked like regular ropes, but Tsubaki was having a lot more trouble getting out of them than she did regular ropes, which was something she was very good at.  
She thought back to the night this happened, when she had gone over to give Sasuke the Maneki Neko, she had been surprised this woman had chosen to attack when Tsubaki was there, it would have been very sloppy to leave a witness behind or innocent victims. After she attacked Sasuke, stabbing him in the back, she had released her jutsu revealing that this was no innocent little six-year-old. She had easily over powered Tsubaki, and had no doubt cast several genjutsu to ensure that no one would recall anything while she made her escape, with a hostage.  
They had moved quickly through the night. Occasionally the woman would stop and run her kunai through a tree so that when a team was sent out, they could find her. The woman had wanted someone to follow her, she wanted the Orange Ninja to come save his daughter and avenge his fallen friend.  
When they had made it to this temple, the woman had revealed her plans to Tsubaki, including her plans for the girl. She would not just let Tsubaki walk away from this; Tsubaki knew that she knew too much. But there were ways of dealing with witnesses, and it did not always end up with the witness dead. This woman was still debating a few options, but whatever it was it included her being controlled with some strange device the disrupted chakra flow and sold as a slave—Tsubaki did not want to think of what that included—or being forced into the same business as the woman with a curse mark…unless she found a way to escape this place.  
This was one of the rare times the woman left her alone; she was always watching her with her cold eyes to make sure she did not escape. She must have specially treated the ropes too, since using her jutsu was having no effect on them. But there had to be some way of getting out of this, nothing was impenetrable just like nothing was completely fool proof. She just had to find that one weakness.  
Tsubaki strained against the ropes, they seemed to be giving as she moved around, but the moment she stopped they constricted, tighter than they had been before, "Great," she grunted breathlessly. She would have to do this quickly.

He could feel someone watching him, could see the pair of cold hardened eyes keeping a close watch on every move he made, counting his heart beats, listening to his breathing. It should have been unnerving, he knew that, but at the moment he was to determined to be unnerved, to angry to be distracted. He had a mission, so let them watch him. Soon he would beat that intruder into the ground and save his sister.  
"I know you're here," he shouted dropping his pack into a corner, "I know you're watching me, so just come out and let's get this over with!"  
The sound of someone laughing filled the hall, high-pitched and cold. Isamu took a deep breath to calm himself and waited, even though the laughter sent his nerves on edge. The laughter was soon accompanied by footsteps, like heels clicking on the tiled floors of the temple hall. He took another deep breath. This was what he came for.  
"My, my, aren't you a brave little boy?" a woman said from somewhere deep inside the hall's shadows, "coming all the way out here on your own to save you sister. I wish my little brother was so nice to me." Again the hall was filled with the cold laughter; Isamu clenched his fist waiting for the woman to show herself. "It's such a nice gesture, too bad it will be in vain."  
The speaker appeared, exiting the shadows to Isamu's left, a small smile on half of her sickly pale face. He turned to face her fully, she looked nothing like Aki, and this was a woman, not a child. He should have expected it, no child could have done what had to have happened in order for such an elaborate plan to work, yes he should have expected it, but now he knew better.  
"Let Tsubaki go."  
"My, my, so direct. You certainly are a brave little boy," she said, her smile widening, "but you have no manners."  
The woman rushed forward, and before Isamu knew what had happened, she had him. Her arms wrapped under his arms and up behind his head, and she pushed him down to his knees, laughing. Isamu pulled forward, he could not get caught this way. "Now quit squirming," she said all pretenses of sweetness gone. "You can't get away from me." She pulled her arms in tighter, adding pressure to Isamu's shoulders. "I'm not going to kill you, yet."  
"Then what are you going to do?" he spat.  
"I have uses for you and your sister, boy," she pushed him farther down. "There is very little chance I could kill the Orange Ninja now that he is aware something is happening. I need you," she moved up closer to him. He could feel her breath on his neck, he could smell her; Isamu tensed trying to pull away once again. The woman laughed. "Now stop, before you make me do something you'll regret. I need you to be a good little puppet Isamu," she cooed, the sweetness returning to her voice, "I need you to go kill your father for me."  
"And why would I do that?"  
"Well if you don't, you'll never see your sister again." The woman vanished, dropping Isamu to the cool tiles.  
He lay there, feeling a sense of total loss, the same he had felt when Hibiki and his gang and nearly killed him. It was a sense of powerlessness that left a sour taste in his mouth, he was not a super awesome shinobi like his father, he was nothing; just a loser, lying abandoned on the temple floor.  
He felt tears welling in his eyes, tears of anger, self-pity…shame.  
He felt them as they ran down his face and puddle on the ground, hot against the cool touch of the floor. He had failed, failed himself, his father, and worst of all, he had failed Tsubaki. His hand clenched, forming a fist, driving his nails into the soft skin of his palm and cutting into them, he had failed everything he had tried to do.  
He was not an awesome shinobi; he was just a little boy, a little boy that had been taught an impossible difficult lesson the hardest way possible. Now he had more on his plate than he could ever hope to handle. He could not defeat his father, no one could beat Naruto. Now Isamu could not even go back to the village, not after this embarrassment.  
So he lay there, on the warming tiles of the temple floor and cried; cried like the little boy he felt like on the inside.

He heard footsteps echoing around him, growing louder and louder, people were entering the temple, coming for him. He did not move, how could he? He had failed.  
"Isamu!" Kiku's cry echoed through the hall, ringing in his ears. He did not deserve her worry.  
They dropped down around him, worried faces looking down on him making sure he was all right. They should not do that, he thought, he was not deserving of that. Kiku dropped down on top of him, her arms circling his neck and chest.  
"You idiot!" she screamed pulling him up off the ground into a tight embrace. "What were you thinking?!"  
He did not deserve their worry. He had disobeyed orders, gone ahead when he knew he should not have, and he had lost. He did not deserve their attention because he was a loser. He grabbed hold of Kiku's shoulder, buried his face into her neck, and cried; cried because he could not do the one thing in his whole life that mattered, because he had failed to save Tsubaki.

"Isamu!" she wrapped her arms tightly around him, held him close crying. Normally he would have pulled away when she did something like this in public, but not this time; let her rejoice that she still had one child, she would never get the other back. He looked around in a daze, half covered in his mother's shirt. There were a lot of people there, his friends, Tsubaki's friends, his parent's friends, the Hokage, Kakashi-Sensei and what was left of his team. Had they gathered here in hopes of celebration?  
"Sakura, let him go, he needs to breathe," he heard his father's voice, felt his father's hands pull his mother's arms away from him. He felt the weight of his guilt double on his shoulders when his father's hands clapped down there. The guilt doubled again seeing their smiling faces, they did not know; Haru-Sensei did not tell anyone about what had happened after they reached the temple—that was staying between the four of them—but he still knew. Isamu would always remember how worthless he'd been when it mattered. He had not been able to do anything to save Tsubaki.

Sasuke couldn't help but notice there was something wrong with Isamu. His face was pale, lifeless, his shoulders sagged, he drug his feet, and he looked close to tears every time someone looked into his tired eyes. No he could not help but notice the drastic change in the boy, a change that no one else seemed to be taking note of.  
Should he go talk to Isamu? Would anything he has to say make any difference? He did not even know what was causing this depressing mood; no, that was not true. This mood was in direct relation to Tsubaki and that mission. But that still did not help Sasuke in determining what was wrong. He did not know what had happened on the mission, no one did; the team refused to talk to anyone about it except the Hokage.  
Maybe it would be best just to talk with Naruto about what he was seeing. Naruto would know what to do, how to handle it; he was the boy's father after all. But there was the possibility that Naruto was already handling it; then he could just be adding stress the situation.  
"Naruto," he said uncertainly one day as they sat in Ichiraku.  
"Yeah Sasuke," Naruto sounded tired, and it had started after Isamu had come back, without his sister.  
"Do you know what's wrong with Isamu?"  
"Nothing," Naruto responded sharply, fixing a rare look of anger toward Sasuke. He held the look for a few seconds before he sighed dropping his shoulders. "Sorry Sasuke."  
Sasuke offered him a brief smile, "it's all right, Naruto."  
"No, it's not all right. I don't know what's going on with Isamu; for the first time in his life Isamu won't talk to me. He won't talk to me, he won't talk to Sakura. He hardly even talks. And Hideaki and Kiku are the same, and Haru won't talk to anyone about the mission except Granny Tsunade, and she's not telling anyone either." Naruto slumped down over the table, his chin hitting with a soft thud. "I don't know what's wrong with him, and I don't know how to handle it."  
"It'll get better, Naruto," Sasuke offered, "it's always darkest before dawn."

"Sometimes I wish that boy wasn't so much like his father." Sakura complained to Ino after watching Isamu sulk around the house for a whole day. He was more like his father than a lot of people realized, most assumed Isamu's red hair came from her, but it had come from Naruto's family, his facial expressions were identical to Naruto's, his overall attitude was, if anything brighter and happier than Naruto's, and his depressions where even more morose, most likely because he was not use to the constant failures like Naruto had been.  
"If he was more like you, you'd wish he was more like Naruto," Ino replied off-handedly, offering Sakura a smile. "And if he's so much like Naruto, just give it a few days, and he'll be back to his usual bright and cheerful self."  
"It's been a few days, and he still won't talk to either of us," Sakura sighed propping her head on her hand.  
"There were times when Naruto didn't talk to us, there were a lot of times he didn't even do anything. Just leave him alone for a few more days, by then he'll have found his spark again."  
She was right, there had been times when Naruto had shut himself off from the world, and there had been times he was just quiet and reserved while he thought things out. He still did that, so it would only be natural for Isamu to copy his father's habits, but that did not mean she had to like it. It was one thing for Naruto to close up like that, but she could not just watch Isamu doing it too, it was hurting her to see him act that way. If only she knew what was wrong with him, then she could help him.  
But he was not talking to anyone. None of the members of Haru's team were. Sakura had never come across a situation where her kids would not come and talk to her, especially Isamu; he always came to talk with her, just like Tsubaki always went to talk to Naruto.  
In that moment Sakura felt a twinge of guilt; she had not talked to Naruto about how he was feeling. He was very close to Tsubaki, he spoiled her, and they did nearly everything together. He would be a raging ball of emotions since this happened and all she had done was worry about Isamu…  
"Ino, I have to go," she said in a slight daze getting up.  
"Don't worry Sakura, those two will be back to their bright selves in no time." Ino smiled, like she had read Sakura's thoughts about Naruto. Sakura nodded to Ino and started away, she had to find Naruto.

He sat on the swing outside of the academy, the wind pushing him gently back and forward as he looked idly up at the sky watching the clouds roll by. It had been two days since they arrived back at the village, in which time he had done this, sat on this swing, avoiding his mother who had, in his opinion, gone slightly crazy; his father who had developed a mood much like his own; Haru-sensei, Kiku, and Hideaki, none of which had tried to make him talk about what had happened inside the temple, he just did not want to talk to them. So far his parents had been the only people trying to get him to talk, even the Hokage had given him space asking for information only from Haru, and only getting extremely vague answers since Haru did not know all the details about what had happened in the temple.  
A team had been sent out to the temple to recover Tsubaki, they were due in this afternoon; he did not expect them to return with his sister. Aki would most likely moved on since she had let him leave.  
He sighed leaning his head against the rope of the swing.  
"If you had blonde hair, you'd look just like your dad." Isamu took a deep breath tightening his grip on the ropes.  
If he was like his father he would have come back with Tsubaki, he thought almost angrily.  
"I doubt that," he managed to say very quietly. He did not look like his father, his father was awesome, he had an air of awesome that radiated from him; Naruto stood tall, he never moped about thinking about how useless he was. His father would never act that way.  
"Oh no, you would. I can't begin to count the times I saw him sitting just like that," there was an amused laughter in the voice. Isamu looked up to see Kakashi-Sensei leaning against the tree, his arms folded in front of him, a touch of laughter in his eye. "Even that look, if you had blonde hair, Isamu, you would be a miniature Naruto."  
Isamu turned away from the jonin and pushed himself off the swing. He knew what Kakashi-Sensei would want; he would ask questions, trying to figure out what happened. Just like all the others who had been bothering him over the last two days. He looked up and saw that Kakashi had moved to block his path, so Isamu turned to go a different direction; again Kakashi moved to cut him off.  
"Do you mind? I want to go be depressed somewhere else now," he said sadistically trying once again to sidestep the jonin.  
"Yeah, just like Naruto." Kakashi responded blocking Ismau's path.  
"No, I'm not. Now quit saying that and let me past."  
"You obviously don't know much about your father if you think you didn't get this mood from him." Isamu scoffed, trying once again to get around Kakashi. "He did this too, when he failed." Isamu looked up shocked at the jonin.  
Naruto, his father, fail? That really did not seem possible.  
"But it never stopped him, he kept going, got stronger, smarter; he did what needed to be done."  
"I think this is a bit more serious than not being able to bring his friend home."  
"There's more to his story than that, just like there's more to yours." Isamu's shock grew, did Kakashi know something no one else did? "I'm not saying you have to tell me, or anyone, but walking around like that," Kakashi paused and shrugged, "it won't help anyone." Kakashi turned to leave, he took a step then turned to look at Isamu again.  
"You really are just like Naruto," he said briefly, waved and left. Although he could not see it, Isamu knew Kakashi was smiling as he walked away.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26: A Good Day

It was the first time he could remember being alone in the Hokage's office, he was sure it had happened before since he and Tsubaki use to play in the building when their mother was here on business, but this was different and it was intimidating. He had decided that he would have to tell the Hokage about what had happened in the temple, the team had still out but he knew they would return with bad news, the woman had let him leave, she would not be around long enough for someone to come in behind him. And if anyone could help him now, it would be the Hokage.  
She sat behind her desk, fingers laced and resting in front of her face, eyes narrowed as she waited for Isamu to start. He stood uncertainly before her, feeling like a huge wad of something was caught in his throat. He should not have been this nervous, he had know the Hokage his whole life, on a very personal basis since his parents spent so much time here in the office. Maybe he was just nervous because he was alone now, and about to tell her about how he had disobeyed orders; he had heard of her anger for things like this before, he knew this would not end well.  
He decided it was best to get it over with, right out and say it, "I disobeyed a direct order from the team captain," he spoke hurriedly, and flinched waiting for her reaction, which he was certain would be swift and painful. But nothing ever came, he opened on eye to look at the Hokage, she had not moved.  
"I trust that is the opening to what happened once you entered the temple." She said from behind her laced fingers. Isamu gulped and nodded.  
"I entered the temple even though Haru-Sensei told us not to, the woman came out of the shadow, she was using a transformation to look like a little girl and Sasuke took her in," he explained seeing a line of confusion crease the Hokage's brow, "she came out and over powered me but said she wouldn't kill me or Tsubaki, she said she had uses for us. And if I ever wanted Tsubaki back I'd have to kill," he stopped short.  
Should he tell her whom he had been instructed to kill? What would she do if he said he had to kill his father? Would she take it as a serious situation, or would she let it slide because she did not believe he could kill Naruto?  
"Kill?" the Hokage asked after a few moments in which he did not continue. "Kill who?"  
He gulped; the large lump of something was back, stopping his voice from coming out. "Dad."

It should have been a good day, it really should have, it had started out better than most days recently, for starters Naruto had not been in complaining about something, Sakura had not come in to be the overly cheerful yet obnoxious aide, there had been no reports bearing bad news, no emergencies had arisen, and Isamu had come in to see her. She liked seeing Isamu, the boy had always brought a smile to her face with his own which was somehow able to out shine his father's. But today that had ruined her day; the day should have been a good day.  
Tsunade leaned back in her chair looking out over the village. The sky was clear blue and there were just a few white clouds rolling lazily over head, barely big enough to cast a shadow, people walked around, smiling and talking, children were playing happily running through the streets. If not for this news about Tsubaki's captor, this day would be as good as they got, but the information Isamu had brought her was enough to bring a good day to a crashing halt and make every other bad day seem just slightly unpleasant.  
It was clear from the information Isamu had provided that they were up against more than a person who had a vendetta against Naruto and his family or Sasuke. This woman who had made contact had known about Sasuke and Naruto's relationship, that was the only explanation as to why she would attack Sasuke and then taken someone close to Naruto. Who ever had sent her would have known those two were close and sent her to take them both out. After getting the full details out of Isamu, that was the only explanation.  
"Shizune!" she shouted, turning back to face the door just as her assistant came in. "I want Naruto and Sasuke in here now! I don't care where they are, or what they're doing, get them in here!"  
"Yes Ma'm!" Shizune bowed and ran back out the door. Tsunade heard her shouting orders as she moved farther away, the main one was: "Find Naruto and Sasuke Uchicha!"  
Tsunade turned back to the window and watched as Shizune ran out of the building. This should have been a good day.

Naruto and Sasuke were at Ichiraku, Naruto was eating away his bad mood and Sasuke was making sure he refrained from doing anything to incredibly stupid. Their table was a mountainous collection of empty bowls, which flowed over onto the surrounding tables.  
Naruto dropped his head down on the table sighing, "it's not fair!" he complained to Sasuke, who by this point was the only person who was still listening to him.  
"Your eyeballs never change size from the time you are born," Sasuke replied randomly, trying to determine is Naruto was listening and trying to engage in conversation or if he was just complaining again.  
"Isamu never doesn't talk to me," Naruto whined, "It's not fair!"  
"When snakes are born with two heads, they fight each other for food."  
"He used to come to me about everything!"  
"Children grow faster in the springtime."  
"He once followed me around for a whole day, telling me about a problem he was having, it took that long for him to explain the situation to me."  
"The average person falls asleep in seven minutes."  
"I can't handle him not talking to me!"  
"The average four year-old child asks over four hundred questions a day."  
"I wish he would do that now," Naruto sighed crossing his arms and resting his chin there.  
"Right handed people live, on average, nine years longer than left handed people do."  
"It's been years since I really spent any time with just Isamu."  
"What? No. Wait. We can't stop here. This is bat country."  
"I guess this is my fault," Naruto sighed.  
"It's a dangerous business, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no telling where you might be swept off to."  
"I know I've been busy lately. But that doesn't mean I don't have time for him."  
"Great Scott!"  
"I've always made time for him. Always."  
"Save them, we must. They are our last hope."  
"Why won't he talk to me?"  
"What kid actually wants to talk to their parents?" Sasuke was fairly certain that Naruto was not listening to his responses.  
"Mine do!" Naruto snapped his head up and giving Sasuke a nasty look. "They always have, so I don't understand what the problem is now!"  
"He's growing up," the pair turned around to see Sakura standing just outside of the collection of bowls. Naruto puckered out his lower lip dropping his head back down to the table.  
"Well he can just stop if it means he's not coming to me for help anymore."  
Sakura laughed joining them at the table, adjusting a few of the smaller bowl stacks so she could talk easily to them. "It's just a phase Naruto, he's probably just depressed because he wasn't part of the team that's bringing Tsubaki back." Sakura said laying her hand on Naruto's arm. "Just be patient with him." Naruto sighed looking at his wife's hand.  
"I don't like this," he muttered into his arms with a sigh.  
The three of them sat in silence for a few minutes, until the heard the rapid clicking of someone in heels running down the street. They could hear the chaos the person who was running was causing as they ran through the crowded street, then the sound changed, like the person had left the street and entered a shop, the ramen shop. Naruto stood up to look over the bowls to see who had coming running into Ichiraku; Shizune was fast approaching, she would know exactly who was behind the mountain of empty bowls. So she either had good news or bad news because she was in such a hurry. Naruto hopped that it was good news.  
"Naruto, Sasuke. Lady Hokage wants to see the two of you immediately."  
That would undoubtedly mean bad news.

"It seems we are up against more than any of us originally expected." Bad opening sentence, "our target has been identified as a woman who has detailed information on her targets." Tsunade looked between Naruto and Sasuke.  
"Targets?" Sasuke asked. He had suspected he had been the target, and since Tsubaki had been there at the time of the attack she had been taken hostage. There was more than one?  
"Uzumaki Isamu reported to me this morning," Tsunade continued. "He had quite the wellspring of information about this subject. He knew the plans of this woman, apparently since she first arrived in the village. However he was unable to make any move against her since he did not know the range of her abilities. She had a doujutsu that blocked your sense to determine her plans, that and from what I gathered she is a very talented actress. I feel the woman revealed quite a bit of her plan to him during their encounters, including the one when he was trying to save Tsubaki."  
"You said targets, who are the targets?" Naruto was growing impatient, these were his children, and it seemed like the Lady Hokage was skirting around the subject.  
"Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto."  
Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto turned to the door where Isamu stood looking down at the ground. He looked up and locked eyes with Naruto, the second target.  
"Isamu was told that in order to get Tsubaki back he would have to kill you Naruto. Therefore we must assume that she believes Sasuke was killed after her attack."  
Naruto's mouth hung open looking at his son, ignoring the rest of the Hokage was saying. That was why Isamu had refused to come talk to him about what was happening, he was torn between his father and Tsubaki. It was no wonder Isamu had closed himself off like he had, that was a tough decision for an adult, let alone an eleven-year-old. Naruto doubted he would be able to make such a decision, and he was thirty-three.  
He wanted to go to his son, to tell him it was alright; but he could not. Nothing about this situation was alright. No decision could easily be made because so much rested on it, what made it worse was that the decision was on the shoulders of his son.  
Isamu dropped his gaze again, back to the floor, the look of shock in his father's eyes was more than he could stand. He had never seen his father look that way before, about anything. Maybe including the Hokage had been a bad idea, Isamu thought miserably clenching and unclenching his fist. Now Naruto knew, and Isamu could just imagine what he would say, "go ahead and kill me, bring Tsubaki back. I'll do anything for Tsubaki."  
Isamu could not stand the thought that he might be trading his sister for his father. He knew that if Tsubaki was in this position she would know exactly what to do. And somehow they would all come out in the end, happy and together.  
He really wished Tsubaki was there.

"So Tsubaki was really taken hostage?"  
Apparently Isamu's appearance a week ago had not been proof enough for Daisuke and Katashi. If the whole village had not been in an up roar about the situation, they made they might never have made connection; but it was still a bit too much for Daisuke, who was not observant to begin with, to comprehend. Kakashi could not believe that the boys were only just now starting to resister that Isamu had been serious about Tsubaki when he showed up at their training session a week ago, even though their third teammate had been absent since that day.  
"Yes, she really was."  
"So the red head and his buddies were seriously going on a recon mission?"  
"Yes, they really were."  
"Why weren't we sent out on that? Tsubaki's our teammate!" Daisuke crossed his arms pouting and falling down onto the ground. He always did his best pouting while sitting, as he told them constantly. It added a whole new level to Naruto's pouting from when he was twelve.  
"Because you are a sad excuse for a shinobi, and we were short a team member." Katashi retorted smugly, like he was that much better of a shinobi than Daisuke, they still had difficulties working together, and it was even rougher since Tsubaki was no longer there to control them.  
"Haru-Sensei and her team were the first to know that something had happened," Kakashi explained for what felt like the millionth time. "So they were dispatched for the mission inside the village and when it moved to a broader range they were still assigned, had we been the first to learn about it, we probably would have been assigned a temporary team member and dispatched for recon."  
"I heard that the Hokage wasn't going to let them go," Katashi said with a hint of jealously in his voice. "But because it was Isamu, the son of the village's hero, they were allowed to go. They weren't ready for something like that, they're only eleven." He finished with an air of supremacy.  
Kakashi glared over at Katashi, he really did think he was a perfect shinobi; well he would just have to put the boy back in his place. "It's true, the Hokage wasn't going to let Haru's team go. Mainly because Tsubaki and Isamu are brother and sister and she feared that Isamu would be reckless because it was his family they were searching for. There was also the fact that she didn't believe they would be able to find the captor, not because they couldn't handle themselves. And if they found the captor they would obviously be up against a stronger opponent." He saw Katashi's face falling.  
"From what I've learned, Haru insisted her team go because they were the most suited to the mission as they are far ahead of the other genin teams teamwork wise and it was a simple intelligence mission they were issued. It turns out to be a good thing that Haru insisted, since the captor had spoken with Isamu, I doubt that we would be any closer to Tsubaki if Isamu hadn't been on that mission."  
"Hold on!" Daisuke shouted jumping up from his position on the ground so that he was right in front of Kakashi. "Tsubaki has a brother?"  
It took everything Kakashi had not to hit the boy upside the head, or his companion at his shocked face at the realization that Tsubaki was also the daughter of the Hidden Leaf's hero. These two aren't very observant are they, he sighed to himself.  
"If it was just an intelligence mission why were they expecting some big fight?"  
"You never know what happens once you leave the village on a mission. My first genin team had quite a few drastic changes in missions during their first year, fighting missing-nin and similar situations."  
"Why don't we get stuff like that?"  
He almost hit Daisuke that time.  
"Because you're an idiot." Katashi commented snidely.  
"Because neither one of you know how to work together!" Kakashi snapped before they got rolling with their argument. They both stopped, each about to speak and hit the other. "Geez, even Naruto figured out this takes teamwork to function properly! All you two do is fight each other, you'll never progress if you don't start acting like a team instead of enemies!" Kakashi was about to say something else when he became aware of a new presence in the area, or three.  
Kakashi and his team turned around just as Isamu, Sasuke and Kohaku entered the training ground.  
"What's Kohaku doing here?"  
"Why is she with that guy, her sensei is Kiba."  
Kakashi ignored them, and waited for Sasuke and the others, this was obviously a team that was meant to go out in search of the woman to try and rescue Tsubaki.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27: Strength

"I'm the key to the whole mission?" Isamu remembered he had asked that several times, they had all said he was multiple times but he still had a hard time believing that everything was resting on his shoulders, success or failure.  
Now they were on their way out of the village, a four-man team to go find this woman who had taken his sister captive, Kakashi had set a fast pace for them. Isamu was having a hard time keeping up with Kakashi, Kohaku was too; but Sasuke was right there with him. The two of them were always just ahead, moving quickly toward the old temple. Kohaku was straining to keep up, she kept falling farther and farther back the longer Kakashi kept them going. Isamu did not want to leave her behind. Kohaku had come because she could do the Yamanaka clan's mind transfer jutsu, they would use that to capture the woman once they found her; they hoped.  
The discussion that led up to the news that Isamu was the key to the mission still played in his mind, his father had remained quiet while his mom and the Hokage had talked.  
"Naruto will have to stay in the village," his mother had agreed with the Hokage's decision, "I don't think Sasuke should go either, he's suppose to be dead." Sasuke had objected.  
"This whole thing is partially my fault, I want to be there. I need to be there."  
"Sasuke, I will not endanger the lives of my shinobi because you feel this is your fault." The Hokage had been vicious, Isamu would have stopped but Sasuke did not.  
"It's not endangerment. It will be an advantage, this woman believes I'm dead, when I show up it will throw her off guard."  
"Or she'll think we've done a transformation jutsu." His mother had interjected, earning a look of anger from Sasuke and approval from the Hokage.  
"It's out of the question Sasuke." The Hokage had said and then turned back to Sakura. "We should include one of the Yamanaka clan, the mind transfer jutsu might come in handy for this mission." Sakura nodded her agreement.  
"We'll also need one of the top elite," The Hokage nodded her agreement.  
"Best we prepare for worse. Kakashi should do the trick, with the Sharingan he's practically unstoppable."  
"What about me?!" Sasuke had yelled moving toward the Hokage's desk. "I'm an Uchicha, I mastered several levels of the Sharingan no one else has mastered in generations!"  
"I said no Sasuke." The Hokage had actually looked angry, seriously angry after telling Sasuke he could not go on the mission for a second time. "And if you do something like that again I throw you out of this office and you'll have no part of this." Sasuke took a step back and glared down at the ground. The Hokage had then looked over at Isamu, and sighed. "I don't like sending him, even with Kakashi. The chances that he'll be taken hostage are just too high."  
"Me?" Isamu remembered saying, who else could it have been she had been looking right at him. Sasuke's mouth had hung open as he turned to look, to make sure that the Hokage had been talking to him. "I'm going?"  
The Hokage had sighed again, like she was really exhausted by something. "You have to go."  
"Lady Hokage, are you sure it has to be Isamu?"  
"I'm afraid so Sakura. Isamu is the only person to have had contact with this woman, and she gave him the task, so she will talk to him again."  
"But he's so young," his mother had said.  
"He's the key to the whole mission!"  
"Then he's going." It had been his father, the first thing Naruto had said since Isamu had told them he had been the other target.  
"Naruto," his mother had started.  
"No Sakura. If Granny Tsunade says he has to go, then he's going." Isamu had never heard his father talk like that to his mother before; it was a strange thing to see. Apparently it did not happen very often either because his mother had not said anything after that regarding Isamu's involvement in the mission.  
"Shizune, send for the head of the Yamanaka clan, I need one of their best for this mission, and find out what Kakashi is up to, he'll be the team leader." Shizune had bowed out the room to go find the people the Hokage had sent for. "Now we still need a fourth person."  
"What about Sai, he's an excellent addition for whatever could happen on the mission." His mother had suggested.  
"He's away and we don't have the time to wait on his return." The Hokage had sighed with a tsk.  
"What about Shikamaru, he would be a good pairing with one from the Yamanaka."  
"He can't, the deer are birthing; he's needed there since he's the head of the clan."  
"Shino or Kiba, Lee, Ten Ten?" His father had listed several of his friends.  
"I want Sasuke." Isamu was still trying to accept that he had said that, he had been expecting a very rash reaction from the people in the room, especially the Hokage who had said twice that Sasuke could not go.  
"Sasuke?" The Hokage had asked with a raised brow. He nodded, "why?"  
"He's strong, I've trained with him. He works well with Kakashi and he has a Kekki Genkai. He's the best option for this mission, and I want him." It had been very stupid he realized as he thought back. He was only on the mission because he had to go; he had had no right to demand who the other member of the team was.  
"Is there anything else?" he shook his head quickly; he did not want to chance angering them. "Good, then we have our team. Whoever the Yamanaka send, and Sasuke."  
It had been a surprise when Kohaku showed up as the representative from the Yamanaka clan, but the head had said she was the best, very advanced in her jutsu that would come in handy for the mission. The Hokage had not objected, this was urgent and of the clan leader said she was the best, so she was going.  
They had been unable to find Kakashi until right before they left, but he had been ready and willing, so they set out after he went to get his things. And here they were, racing through the forest to a temple he knew would be deserted, but he still hoped that they would get there and they could save Tsubaki.  
Kakashi called for a halt just before they reached the temple, they all gathered around him as he told them the plan. "We all stay together, Isamu at the front. Kohaku, Sasuke and myself abreast behind him. If we can we all enter the temple together, we will. If not, Kohaku you stay behind to him no matter what. I want both of you inside that temple." Kohaku nodded quickly looking between Kakashi and Isamu. "Once we're inside, if she is peaceful Isamu will engage her in conversation while Kohaku does the mind transfer jutsu to locate Tsubaki, then we will retrieve her and return to the village."  
"And if it's not peaceful?" Isamu was not sure if he wanted to know what the plan would entail if the transaction wasn't peaceful.  
"Hopefully all four of us will be there, and we'll have to fight and detain her. Then the mind transfer jutsu, the extraction of the captive, and return home." Well that was a good plan, hopefully it would work; Isamu took a deep breath in preparation of the mission.

She was angry again. She had been ever since she had walked in on Tsubaki trying to escape the chakra-controlled ropes, but she was really mad this time. She was pacing back and forth through the small room they now occupied, had occupied for the past several days—Tsubaki had lost count of how many—muttering to herself, cursing mostly and then glaring over her shoulder. This woman had never been mean to her, she said Tsubaki had to stay beautiful, strong spirited and healthy, for her plans, which had never been discussed in any detail.  
Tsubaki feared what those plans might include and since she had to stay beautiful and healthy she knew it would not be anything pleasant from her standpoint. She knew her time was running out, how long had she been this woman's captive? How long had it been since Isamu had come for her? What had happened in the Village? Had Sasuke been killed as the woman predicted? What had caused the woman's anger to flare up again?  
"Damn," she cursed walking to the door of the little room. "I can tell if you struggle against those ropes, you do anything and I will not be merciful in your punishment." Tsubaki leveled a glare at the woman as she exited the room.  
That woman knew she was finished with escape attempts, she had been for a while. It simply was not worth the effort, it was like her father had told her; choose your battles. She was conserving her energy for when the perfect opportunity arose; then she would be free.  
Tsubaki looked around the small room. Small movements did not register for the ropes, if she slowly moved her arms outward they would be mostly off her before the woman would feel the difference. That would give Tsubaki plenty of time to get away. Granted the woman was far enough away she would have the time to escape from wherever she was; otherwise this whole escape attempt would end very badly.  
There was a chance that the woman would be gone a while this time, she had stormed out of the room rather quickly, and she was already gone longer than normal. Could this be the chance Tsubaki had been waiting for?  
She took a deep breath; well if she did not try she would never know.  
Tsubaki breathed in until her lungs had reached their full capacity and held it for thirty seconds, long enough to set her arms so they would not move inward when she exhaled. Slowly she released her held breath watching as the ropes constricted, but not tighter than they had when she was trying to escape before. She smiled nodding and started the tedious task of slowly moving her arms outward, little bit by little bit.  
As she worked she remembered that one of the kids in her class could expand his entire body, she really wished she knew that jutsu as the muscles in her arms started to tense while she moved them slowly upward, giving her more and more room, bringing her closer and closer to escape. Her arms moved up so they were parallel to the floor, the ropes hung loosely around her shoulders; she had done it! Grinning she grabbed the coils of the rope to pull them over her head.  
The moment her hands touched the rope it snapped, constricting around her neck and hand. "Damn," she gasped pulling on the rope around her neck slowly; the woman would have felt that snap of the rope. The woman would be on her way now; she had to get away quickly, and she had to get rid of the rope.

Did the Hokage think her a fool? Honestly, why send two new teams back to back when the first had failed to even make it past the temple yard? Granted the second had been of better skill, they made it farther than the first, and this team… They would have to have been dispatched before the previous team even made it back to the village, there was not enough time between the two. What was that side-ways old woman doing?  
No matter, so long as she remained hidden and cast her Kekki Genkai over the structure there would not be any problems, they would not see anything and they would leave with nothing to report just like the others.  
She started to gather her chakra to cast the jutsu when she felt the all too familiar tug on her chakra, the ropes were constricting again; it had been a large reduction all at once. How could that be, she wondered extending her chakra below to the room where Tsubaki was. She cursed silently to herself, looking over the room through her chakra. The rope was around Tsubaki's neck, how had she not felt that? She wanted to see what the Hokage had planned for her, but she could not risk losing Tsubaki.  
The girl would make a fine addition to the team, once she was broken down a bit. And Tsubaki was the only thing she had leverage wise against the Orange Ninja. No, she could not risk losing her. She would have to leave the Leaf's shinobi to themselves for now.  
Cursing she turned and started back to room as quickly as she dared, careful not to disturb the dust on the floor or make an echo in the vast chamber. Tsubaki would pay for this one; she had taken it one step too far.

The rope tightened more and more as she tried to pull it off, the more she tried to get her hand in it to keep it from strangling her. She was panicking, for the first time in her life Uzumaki Tsubaki was having a panic attack and she just knew it would be the end of her. Gasping for breath she tried to calm herself, the more she pulled against the ropes the tighter they became, she knew that, so she had to relax and stop fighting it.  
It closed in around her neck, pressing her hand into the side under her chin; she felt her rapid heartbeat through the backs of her fingers. But she stopped fighting it, so it would ease up soon; at least she hoped it would, if not she would not make it much longer. It kept constricting, tighter and tighter, the rope was digging into her fingers now, the tips were numb, her hand was blocking the artery in her neck, she could feel herself slipping. She was sliding off the edge into unconsciousness, if she fell that would be it, the rope would kill her. That seemed like the best choice to just get out of the pain.  
"There's no way I'm ever giving up." She could see Isamu's goofy smile, the day he had proclaimed he would never give up. He had been four or five and was not able to beat her sparring, "I won't give up until I'm better than you sis," he had said dusting himself off with a huge grin on his face. "Giving up is for losers." What a weird thing to remember at a time like this.  
"When we become kunoichi, you had better not wimp out on me. I can't say my best friend is a wimp," Kohaku had always complained about things being too hard and just quitting; but she had never let Tsubaki think it. Kohaku could be a quitter and a wimp, but not her best friend.  
"You never know how strong you are, until being stronger is the only option you have."  
"If you ever just give up, I'll have to beat some sense into your head, it won't be pleasant, but it'll be necessary." Isamu had said that so many times, she had wanted to stop because she did not feel like she could do anymore. Isamu had always shown her she could still accomplish more.  
"I can't say my best friend in a wimp."  
"You'll thank me for it afterwards."  
Sorry little brother, she thought as the darkness began to surround her, there won't be an afterwards this time.

Inside the temple looked exactly like it had the last time, there had been no difficulties getting in, it was like the woman was letting them in to see what could happen. But he could not feel the woman; she was not there.  
Had she moved locations? Had she packed up and moved so she could watch him perform her dirty work, then come back? Or had she lied to him all together and he would never see Tsubaki again? It was probably the latter; he had been a fool to think she would just hand his sister over once their father was dead.  
Isamu could have curled up, right then and there and cried again. He really wanted too, then go back to the village, quit being a shinobi, and live out the rest of his life in a little one-room shack out in the forest somewhere. That was all he deserved after what he had managed to accomplish in the past few weeks, which was nothing. He had lost Tsubaki, he had disgraced himself, worried his parents, and set the village in an uproar. He had caused so much trouble when it didn't have too. He would never see his sister again.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28: Kiku and Hideaki

"I'm bored." Well that certainly was not ground breaking news, Kiku had been bored for weeks. "When are we going to get to do something exciting again?"  
"Kiku did I know five minutes ago, the last time you asked me?"  
She sighed rather than give an answer.  
"Then what makes you think I'm going to know now, when I haven't moved from this spot since the last time you asked."  
They were at the park, lying under a tree watching the clouds rolling over the village. They had not been assigned a mission since they came back from the temple, Haru-Sensei had been dealing with something, was out of the village. Isamu was sulking about somewhere; he had stopped talking to them after their return. They did not blame him and they were not mad he dealt with things the way he needed too. But Hideaki and Kiku were bored from the sudden halt in everything they were doing.  
Kiku shrugged shading her eyes as the sun made an appearance. "Well if you suggested something to do, I wouldn't have to keep asking you when we're doing something fun again."  
"Why don't you think of something?"  
Kiku sighed again dropping her hand over her stomach, "I miss Isamu," she whispered. Hideaki rolled his head over to look at her. They had been best friends for as long the three of them could remember, but he could never find the right thing to say to her. Isamu could, it seemed like he always knew just what to say to either of them to make everything better. He missed Isamu too.  
He sat up and looked around the park, it was mostly empty, which was not odd at ten-thirty in the morning. Surely there was something they could do here in the park at least a little bit fun to pass the time. Nodding Hideaki stood up and walked over to the swings. Kiku rolled her head around to watch him.  
"What are you doing?"  
"You remember when we were kids, we used to see how far we could jump off the swings."  
"So?" she asked rolling onto her stomach to get a better look at what he was doing.  
"I bet, I can go twice as far as I use too," he put one foot on the seat and kicked off. He pushed himself higher and higher until he felt weightless for a few moments when he was at the highest point the swing traveled.  
"With that swing you won't even make half the old distance," Kiku said crossing her arms to prop up her head. "Too much height, you'll just go up really high."  
Grinning, Hideaki gave one more good push coming forward again and leapt out of the swing. He felt weightless as he rose into the air, leaving the swing far behind him. He took a deep breath and held his arms out as he started to descend, faster and faster, the ground was close. He hit the ground, knocking the wind out of him, and rolled across the grass, right up to Kiku.  
"I told you," she pushed herself up off the ground and stepped over him, "you had too much air, that wasn't even half of what you used to do."  
Hideaki stood up dusting himself off and followed Kiku over to the swings. "Oh please, show me what I did wrong." He mocked sarcastically as Kiku climbed into one of the swings.  
"Oh, I will," she pushed herself forward, and started the process of building up height. She was going higher than Hideaki had when she finally stopped pushing and let the swing start to slow. It was half the height as when Hideaki jumped when as it came forward she launched herself off the wooden seat. She landed twice the distance that Hideaki had landed, and rolled out of it, bouncing up to her feet.  
Hideaki chuckled watching her walk back to the swing. She always had been good at that. He climbed up into a swing, after Kiku had climbed into the one next to him they both started swinging once again, both of them going as high as the swing would go then together they jumped out, and soared weightlessly for a few seconds before hitting the ground.  
Kiku laughed and rolled up next to him. She smiled at him, like she usually did at Isamu, and took his hand in her own. "You know, I would miss you if you just ignored me like Isamu is."  
"I would miss you too," he said smiling as he sat up, pulling away from Kiku. She sat up and moved right next to him.  
"What's wrong," she was really close to him. He shook his head and moved a little away from her.  
"We can't do this," he said not looking at her. If he looked at her he would not be able to stop himself.  
"Why not?"  
Should he tell her? Isamu had told him in confidence, so it was wrong for Hideaki to just tell other people. But this was not just anyone, this was Kiku; and she felt the same way about Isamu, she was just begging for attention now. He could not tell her, and he refused to get in the middle of it.  
"Hey! I asked you a question," she grabbed his wrist to turn him to face her.  
"You don't feel that way about me Kiku." He pulled away from her. He never thought he would pull away from Kiku. "You and I both know you like Isamu."  
"He's not here, he'd never know the difference." He shook his head again.  
"I can't Kiku."

"Where do you think Kakashi-sensei went?"  
"Why are you talking to me?"  
Daisuke shrugged folding his hands behind his head as he walked next to Katashi through the village.  
"Why don't you go bother one of your other friends?  
"They're all busy training and on missions," he replied looking up at the clouds.  
"Well aren't they lucky," Katashi grumbled casting a venomous glare over at Daisuke, who either ignored it or missed it.  
"I know what we should do!" Daisuke grinned looking over at Katashi, "we should go find Tsubaki's brother. He would know what's going on. Tsubaki's parents are friends with Kakashi-Sensei."  
"You're an idiot," Katashi remarked quickening his pace to get away from Daisuke.  
Daisuke sighed, matching Katashi's pace, "that's what Tsubaki always said to me." Katashi rolled his eyes, increasing his speed again.  
"What do you want from me?"  
Again Daisuke shrugged, his gaze returning back to the clouds. "You know we aren't a very good team," he randomly commented.  
"Because you're an idiot."  
"No, there's more to it than that," Daisuke stated matter-of-factly nodding. "I was talking to some of the other genin; did you know they all actually like the other people on their teams." Katashi rolled his eyes, "I'm serious, they do stuff together outside of training and missions, they actually like each other."  
"What's your point?" Katashi was growing very tired of Daisuke's company.  
"I'm hungry," Katashi's statement was accompanied by the growling of his stomach. Daisuke grinned looking over at Katashi. "Wanna go get some food?"  
"If I do, will you leave me alone?" Daisuke nodded, but Katashi knew he was lying. But he was hungry too, so he figured, "why not?"  
They walked through the streets heading for a teashop Daisuke said had the best dumplings in the village, their path lead them past the park where they saw the friends of Tsubaki's brother. And it looked like they were arguing about something.  
"Wonder where the red-head is?" at that moment the girl stormed away from the other, shoving her way between Daisuke and Katashi. Staring open-mouthed after her they waited for something to happen, seconds later the boy came running past them, mumbling an apology as he chased after the girl.  
"Wonder what's up with them," Daisuke looked over to Katashi so see if he had any kind of response.  
"Why are you so interested in everyone else's business?"  
Daisuke looked like he was seriously contemplating the question for a few second, scratching his head, then he shrugged, "I'm just curious."  
"You're an idiot."  
"Can you stop that, it makes me miss Tsubaki more." Katashi rolled his eyes shaking his head.  
"Let's go before I change my mind about getting something to eat with you."

Naruto walked quickly through the streets of the village, he was half-way through his sixth lap of the village. He had not eaten, he was not hungry. He had more or less chased off all of his friends who had tried to offer some form of companionship, help, or positive thoughts. It was still early and he was not expecting the team to be back anytime soon, so he had a while to stress quietly to himself lapping the village. He had never been one to just sit back and let others do something that he was perfectly capable of.  
One of the main things running through his mind was his son. Isamu had been withdrawn for days, and when he finally found out why, Naruto wanted to offer him some form of comfort. But there was nothing he could say to comfort his son. What could he have said to help with the problem his son was confronted with, "go ahead son, kill me so you can have your sister back." That was cruel, the whole situation was cruel, and none of them could think of a way to fix the situation without endangering someone's life, and that someone was unfortunately Tsubaki.  
If the mission failed, chances were they would never see Tsubaki again. He would never see his baby girl again. That made his heart ache, his baby girl had been put in harm's way because of him, just like Isamu had been. This just was not right. If people had a problem with him, they should just come straight to him and leave his children out of it; they could not help the fact that he was their father.  
He grew more and more frustrated as he walked around the village. There had to be something he could do…  
"Kiku!" Naruto turned around to see Kiku and Hideaki coming down the street, and Kiku looked about ready to scream. "Kiku, please don't be mad at me," he heard Hideaki beg chasing after his friend.  
"You expect me to sit there and listen to you say stuff like that," Kiku whipped around sending the boy off guard, he staggered to a halt, and backed up a step. "I can't just sit around all the time Hideaki. He's not the same, and I look to you, one of my best friends, for comfort and you turn me away! This is a bunch of crap Hideaki, this whole situation is, and I expected you to be able to help," she had reached some breaking point, tears started to stream down her cheeks.  
"Kiku, what could I do, I'm just a genin."  
It surprised Naruto to hear Hideaki say that. In all the years he had known the boy, Hideaki had never said anything that made him seem so uncertain of his abilities. Hideaki, Kiku and Isamu had always shown a "go-get-em" attitude about everything. Yet, with in the past few weeks, all three had been reduced to nothing.  
This was far more serious that he originally thought, it was not just about him and his children this affected the whole village.  
In that moment he formed a plan, he turned around and started for the Hokage's office. He knew how to fix everything, it was so simple, he was amazed it had taken him so long to think of it.


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29: Echoes

"There's no one here," they looked around the temple spreading out slowly.  
"Do you think she left?" The question echoed through the vast room quietly. Kakashi shook his head.  
"It's possible, but I find it unlikely since the last team here had so many difficulties."  
"And that was just a few days ago," Sasuke commented activating his Sharingan.  
"That doesn't mean she couldn't move. Her location might have been compromised, or she might have been called back to wherever she came from," Isamu moved toward the back of the room, the woman had come from that direction the last time he was here. "Kakashi-sensei, do you think this temple has a cellar?"  
"It's possible," Kakashi moved to join him in the back.  
"Then let's go," they started toward the shadow laden back of the room, hoping to find an entrance. Hoping something would lead them to Tsubaki.  
They found a stairwell going down into the darkness. They checked the steps carefully, there was no sign that someone had been down there, but that was true for the rest of the hall. So they started down, Kakashi in front and Sasuke in the rear, moving slowly into the dark abyss.  
The stair ended into a long hallway that stretched back toward the temple compound gates. Several doors lined the hall and a few smaller halls branched off, they traveled down the halls briefly finding themselves in dead ends or entering complex labyrinths. The team opened all the doors to check them out; an empty room lay behind each one as they moved down the hall.  
As they approached the last door, the team had given up on finding anything, but that's when they heard the noise. Someone was behind that last door gasping for breath. Could it be what they had come for, could the person behind that door be Tsubaki and her captor? Kakashi motioned for Isamu and Kohaku to stay back, for Sasuke to come forward and took hold of the door handle. They all subconsciously held their breath as Kakashi twisted the handle slowly. The door swung in slowly, revealing a light that cast two shadows out into the hallway.

"Granny Tsunade," Naruto ran through the door into the Hokage's office.  
"Naruto," she looked up from her work on the desk, it had finally reached the point Shizune would no longer allow her to put it off.  
"I know how to catch that woman, and save Tsubaki," he gasped crossing the room. Tsunade raised her brow looking at him, he nodded a grin spreading across his face. "I just thought of it."  
"What's your plan Naruto?" Tsunade laced her fingers and leaned forward in her chair.  
"All this time we've gone after them, we sent a standard team. What we need, Granny Tsunade is a massive show of strength. Surround her, the temple, and whatever else, with every available shinobi we have. There's no way she could out maneuver everyone."  
"What if she does Naruto? What if I send everyone, which would leave the village totally defenseless for at least three days, and she gets past them? Or worse she decides to cut her own losses and kills Tsubaki, then slips away the same as when she entered and fled the village?"  
Naruto shook his head, "whatever jutsu she uses doesn't work on children. That's why Isamu and Tsubaki could see what was happening when no one else could. If we take the genin out, they can pinpoint her location. They can keep her from getting away as long as they don't fall under a regular genjutsu."  
"How can you be sure that they don't? How can you know that all children are immune to whatever jutsu the enemy uses?" Naruto and Tsunade locked glares, both certain they were right in their argument. "What if it was just Tsubaki and Isamu who could see through it, and we send all those shinobi out there for nothing?"  
"What if it works?" Naruto slammed his hands down on the desk, leaning across it so he was right in the Hokage's face. "I would rather risk that woman getting away with us trying than to let her leave when she feels like it with my daughter in tow."  
"Naruto," Tsunade sighed shaking her head. "I care about Tsubaki, I do. But being rash in a situation like this won't help anything."  
"I'm not being rash!" Naruto shouted straightening to stand over the woman. "If we send a large enough force we can surround the woman, and given the proper bait she will come out."  
"And what are you planning to use as bait?" Tsunade knew the answer before Naruto had the chance to speak. She did not like it, risking everything on a hunch like Naruto wanted. He was a sure pick for the next Hokage, he was strong; but they did not know the capacities of this woman, or how many people might have joined her during the past few weeks.  
"If she wants me, then that's what she'll get," Tsunade knew by the look in Naruto's eyes there was no way she could change his mind about this.  
"Naruto, if you plan on doing this wait for Kakashi and his team to come back. I have faith in their abilities."  
"If they come back empty handed, I'm going regardless of what you want," they locked gazes again briefly before Naruto turned and left the office. Tsunade leaned back in her chair and sighed.  
"What am I going to do with him?" she asked turning her chair around to look out the window. Tsunade looked up to the sky, "what would you have done?"

Dead weight was the worst thing in the creation of everything. It was frustrating how a single little girl could cause so much trouble and then just become dead weight. If the situation had not become so pressing in such a short span of time things would have been different. For instance, she would have waited for Tsubaki to regain consciousness and then punish her in some way for her stupidity. Or would have just left the child to die, she was growing to be more trouble than she was worth. But she could not wait around and could not risk losing the child yet, not when she still had a mission to complete.  
But how she hated dead weight!  
"You little pain in the," she gasped running with the girl through the hidden tunnels of the temple basement. "When this is over, you will pay for this." The unconscious child weighed down on her back, her legs becoming entangle with the child's. Everything that had been going so well was starting to unravel because this child decided to try another escape attempt.  
She could hear the shinobi team checking the rooms; hopefully she could get out of this. Nothing could save her from the wrath of the company if she returned with an uncompleted mission, not even death since they had developed that jutsu. She cursed to herself readjusting the weight of the child and pausing to hear what the shinobi team was doing.  
"This one's empty too," it was a little girl that spoke. She smiled to herself.  
A child? Was the Hokage not taking this seriously, she sent another genin team to check this out after sending a team of elite that had failed? She continued onward trying to keep herself from tripping herself up in Tsubaki's feet.  
"Wait," she cursed again hearing the overly annoying and impossibly familiar voice. "I hear something."  
How could the Uchicha still be alive? She had desecrated his internal organs, there was no way he could still be alive. Maybe it was someone else; surely there were other people who sounded like him. But there was that chance…  
No. She had killed him. No one could have survived her killing strike, not even the infamous Uchicha.  
"I don't hear anything," the girl was obviously not use to stealth missions she was a noisy thing. But that could be used to her advantage, she could make her escape easier if she was not worried about the shinobi hearing her.  
"Go ahead little girl keep it up," she mouthed started off again.  
"Footsteps," she stopped mid step. How could they have heard her? "Behind that wall."  
"There must be secret tunnels down here," there was no mistake. It was the Uchicha. He had survived. Now she would really be getting it from Headquarters. She cursed once again. How could everything have fallen apart like this?  
"Search the room, see of you can find the entrance," the Copy-Cat Ninja was here too? She wanted to drop the child and flee. She could, it would take a bit of finagling on her part with the company, and restarting the mission on square one. But was that really worth the hassle?  
She could still get away with Tsubaki. It would undoubtedly be a close call, but she could do it. She felt the child would, in part, make up for all the delays in this mission. The company was always looking for new recruits and this one was already trained in the shinobi arts. She would take the child, for now. If the situation reached the point where abandoning the child was the only way to escape, so be it.  
Cursing she adjusted Tsubaki's weight and started off.

They poured into the room and spread out. Someone had been in this room, the remnants of meals were set in one of the corners, a chair was upset in the middle, a table was laden with papers, plans for something, and there was a rough bed-like structure next to the door. This must have been her base, and it was recently abandoned. "She couldn't have gotten too far," was the thought running through the team's minds.  
They scanned the walls, moving slowly running their fingers through the seams of the bricks, over the rough texture of the blocks, feeling for a switch, a leaver, a hinge. Sasuke found it, beside the table, a small leaver hidden in the mortar of the bricks. The door swung inward, and the room was filled with the echoing of someone running through the hidden passage.  
"I'll take point, Kohaku stay behind me if we need the mind transfer jutsu you'll have to be ready. Isamu you and Kohaku watch each other at the confrontation. Sasuke take the rear. No matter what happens, watch yourselves. Now let's move," they started down the passage at a run.  
It was pitch black in the tunnel. Too dark to see anything, not even Kohaku's back. How were they supposed to fight if they could not see? Isamu kept quiet; he just kept going following the sound of the footsteps, which were tailing the echoes of their target. They kept going straight, running blindly into what could possibly be a trap.  
"Kakashi, the echo is coming from behind us now," he knew to stop before he ran into Kohaku, silence weighed down on them listening for the echo of the woman's escape. Isamu looked blankly into the dark, waiting to find if he could hear anything.  
"What happened to her echo?" Kohaku asked in a soft whisper somewhere in front of him.  
"I know I heard her behind us, maybe she stopped," Sasuke sounded really close to him, he took a small step forward.  
"Isamu, don't move," the order was whispered in a tone that left no room to host thought of not instantly obeying. He set his foot quietly back on the ground and strained to hear something in the distance.  
"Do you hear that?" he asked. It sounded like someone was gasping for breath, like they had been running carrying something heavy, like a captive.  
"This way," they started off silently toward the sound of the gasps.  
As they moved in closer, Isamu felt his own breath coming in gasps in rhythm of their target's. Was everyone feeling the excitement and anxiousness he was? Or was that just because this was his sister they would finally be rescuing? He was getting closer and closer, he could see it; victory, a spectacular rescue and a triumphant return to the village. It was what he had imagined ever since he was little, and now it was happening.  
"Damn, where'd they get to?" he heard the woman pant. "I haven't heard them since I doubled back," a small globe of light appeared in the distance. A grin spread across Isamu's face, this was it.  
"Ready, Kohaku," he heard a nearly silent response and a slight shift in stance from Kohaku. She was going to do the mind transfer, which meant he'd have to catch her body when it happened. He moved closer to Kohaku and got ready for it.

She felt the spike in chakra and dodged just in time. She could guess what that jutsu was, and luckily she had just readjusted Tsubaki, the transfer went to the unconscious child rather than her. Grinning she dropped the girl onto the floor and kicked her hard. This was the breaking point, she would abandon the girl and count her losses there was no point in continuing if they had one of the Yamanaka with them.  
She turned to leave when something grabbed her leg. No not something, someone, the girl. She twisted around to see the girl and cursed. Damn her luck and this assignment. The girl had a twisted smile on her face then it melted away into shadow along with the rest of her. She cursed again, caught in a genjutsu. Not that it mattered she could easily escape a genjutsu.  
She stopped her chakra flow and went to release it all at once but something stopped her. Her chakra had not stopped. Her chakra would not stop. What was happening? This was just a genjutsu, what else could it have been… The Copy-Cat Ninja and the Uchicha, she was trapped in a doujutsu.

"We've got her," Sasuke focused all his chakra to ensure the jutsu did not fail and started forward with Kakashi over to the woman and Tsubaki.  
"Alright Kohaku, release the jutsu," Tsubaki's body fell limp releasing her grip on the woman's leg. Kakashi knelt beside her and lifted her into his arms. Tsubaki was thin and looked pale. He smiled standing up and retreating back to Kohaku and Isamu. "Well now, what have we here?" Sasuke asked with a smirk.  
"Sasuke," Kakashi's tone pulled him back into reality. This was not before; he could not let his anger get the better of him anymore. He refocused, maintaining control of his anger at the woman.  
"What are we going to do now?"  
"We find some way to transport her, and get the two of them back to the village. Tsubaki seems to be injured, and we don't have a trained medical-nin with us." The woman started laughing, a high-pitched malicious laugh that echoed eerily in the tunnel.  
"You think you've won," she laughed. Sasuke cursed under his breath, she was breaking free, "you think a team of under trained, inexperienced nobodies led by an elite like the Copy-Cat Ninja can stop me?" she yelled and broke completely free.  
Sasuke barely registered the kick that was coming for his face, sheer instinct alone brought his arm up in time to block but it was still a hard enough kick that he skidded across the floor. It was quickly followed by a punch coming in at his unguarded side. He raised his other hand to block, when suddenly he found himself on the ground looking up at the cold hatred-filled eyes of the woman. She smirked, and then changed, back into the little girl. Sasuke gritted his teeth, clenched his fist and moved to attack.  
The woman was hurled through the air, Isamu's arms wrapped around her guiding the attack into the wall behind Sasuke. Sasuke was on his feet in seconds and whipped around to see Isamu kneeling over top of her, repeatedly punching her in the face. The boy was gasping for breath, tears were streaming down his face, a face set in determination. The woman was not struggling, she was not fighting back, she was not even conscious.  
"Enough Isamu," the boy stopped mind-swing and took a deep breath leaning back.  
The instant Isamu stopped, the woman's eyes snapped open, she sneered and kicked up, landing a solid hit on the back of the young genin's head. All the breath fled the boy's lungs as he vaulted forward. Just before he landed on her, the woman shoved him aside, releasing her jutsu and stood up leering at the rest of the team and dusted herself off picked her light back up.  
Kakashi rushed forward, Sasuke seconds behind him. They had to capture this woman there was no other option. Kunai flashed, the hall was filled with what sounded like thousands of birds chirping, and a dazzling blue light. A smile spread across the woman's features, a smile not a smirk, her eyes locked on Kohaku and Tsubaki.  
She would have to rethink this, she told herself and then turned to Kakashi and Sasuke. "I am terribly sorry, but I'm afraid I must go," in a cloud of smoke she was gone.  
"I'm going this way, Sasuke back track. She can't have gotten very far in these tunnels. Kohaku make sure Isamu is alright and watch over Tsubaki," Kohaku nodded slowly. "We'll be back shortly," Kohaku nodded again and watched Kakashi and Sasuke run in opposite directions.

She watched the two of them separate, the two real threats. Now getting out would be simple. She smiled to herself looking at the three children. Two of them were useless and the third did not look to be much trouble, as soon as the coast was clear she could really make her escape. She breathed in deeply through her nose, counting to ten and then released it counting to ten, deep breath counting to twenty, out counting to twenty.  
"1…2…3…4…5…6…7…8…9…10," she dropped down silently just out of range of the light.  
Perhaps she could take one of them, it would easy enough to overpower the girl and take any one of the three. Or perhaps two of them, returning with such a marvelous addition as two, trained kunoichi could possibly grant her a bit of clemency with the company for the brief delay in her assignment. And taking the girls would leave the boy in another wave of soul-crushing depression, the kind he would never recover from. She liked that, it was just about as satisfactory as bringing in two new recruits.  
She would try it. Besides, she was running out of things to lose.

For some reason Kohaku was having trouble controlling her breathing. It was coming in fast ragged gasps and her chest felt like it was about to explode. Whether that was because her breathing was so irregular or her heart was beating so rapidly she did not know, but she could tell something was happening to make her so anxious.  
She looked down at Tsubaki; her best friend was completely out of it. She looked over to Isamu; he was in the same condition, that blow to the head really did a number on him. She would have to get them together; she could defend a spot, but not two. She groaned silently to herself, she would have to move one of them and fast.  
Isamu was smaller; he would be easier to move. But that would be leaving Tsubaki unguarded while she got to Isamu and brought him back. Kohaku looked desperately between the two; Tsubaki was there, it would take time getting her over to Isamu, but she would be ungarded if Kohaku went to move Isamu. She nodded determining her course of action.  
She stood up, grabbed Tsubaki by the upper arms and started to pull her down the hall toward her brother. She laid the siblings side by side then made ready to guard them until Kakashi and Sasuke came back.  
A chilling laugh whispered behind her. Kohaku quickly turned around to find the woman standing between the heads of her two sleeping comrades. She felt her heart rate quicken even more, but her breathing settled looking at the face of her enemy.  
"They must have a lot of faith in you, leaving you alone to guard the Jinchuuriki's children," the woman said in a sweet, almost motherly, tone.  
Kohaku gulped pulling her kunai. She looked straight in the eye of the woman, and knew she had no chance of beating her in a fight. Had at least one of the others been around or conscious she could have done the mind transfer jutsu. But if she missed now, there was no telling what would happen before she made it back to her body. It was too great a risk. What was she going to do?  
"What are you going to do now?" the woman knelt down and ran her fingers across Tsubaki's face. Kohaku gulped trying to figure out what she could do. She was just a genin; she could not handle stuff like this.  
Kohaku looked down at Tsubaki and Isamu, they were counting her. Kakashi and Sasuke were counting on her. Naruto and Sakura were counting on her. The Hokage was counting on her. She could not let them all down, but knowing that she could not fail did not give her any idea about what to do.  
"It seems the Hidden Leaf isn't too concerned with the well being of its genin," the woman traced the outline of Isamu's cheek. "I keep meeting up with the under trained and unsure." She looked up at Kohaku, a smile spread on her lips. "Now, child of the Yamanaka Clan, are you going to come quietly or will I need to knock you out as well?" the woman stood up and stepped between Isamu and Tsubaki so she was right in front of Kohaku.  
"I'm not going with you, and neither are Tsubaki and Isamu," Kohaku tightened her grip on her Kunai looking straight into the eyes of the woman. She hoped she had the ability to keep that promise.  
The woman chuckled, "Oh, is that," she stopped before finishing the sentence. Her eyes widened and she turned to look at the ground. Isamu had a bloodied kunai in his hand and a grimace contorting his features.  
"Yeah, that's right," he said coming to his feet. "The only person going somewhere is you, right back to the village." A smile appeared on the woman's face.  
"Little Isamu is acting so tough. But I know it's just an act, you little brat," she spat the last part.  
"This is no act," Isamu pulled another kunai from his holster. "This is serious, and you're not getting away."  
"Oh, and how do you know that?"  
"Because I've got a plan," Isamu threw the new kunai in the darkness above them and lunged forward wrapping his arms around the woman, with the bloodied kunai at her throat. "Now Kohaku!" She sent out the jutsu just as the other kunai came falling to the ground; accompanied by dozens more, creating an echo loud enough to get any body's attention.

Kakashi stopped in his tracks; an echo was reverberating down the halls. It was coming from where he had left Kohaku and the others and that could only mean one thing; the woman had never left that area and now Kohaku was fighting her alone. He cursed turning and starting back the way he'd come. He had to get to them before this was over, or he might lose the whole team on this assignment.  
When he arrived he found Kohaku on the ground, Isamu holding a kunai to the woman's throat and the cause of the noise all over the floor. Had one of them done that, it was a clone jutsu, not just a clone jutsu—it was a shadow clone jutsu since it had made so much noise. While still determining if one of his team made the multitude of kunai Isamu stepped away from the woman, but did not lower the kunai.  
"Is that you Kohaku?" he asked bring in Kakashi's attention.  
"She missed, little boy," a cloud of smoke erupted around her and she was gone. Isamu cursed under his breath lowering his arm.  
"What happened?" Sasuke entered the globe of light and stood in shock at the vast amount of kunai lying around on the ground, the bloodied kunai in Isamu's hand and the two unconscious girls.  
"She got away again," Isamu sighed looking down at the kunai in his hand, his plan had not exactly worked but at least they had Tsubaki back.  
Kohaku pushed herself up to her knees as Isamu cleaned the blood from his kunai and returned it to his holster. "I'm sorry Isamu, I don't know what happened." The boy turned a smile to her.  
"It's alright Kohaku, we saved Tsubaki."  
Kakashi walked over to Tsubaki and picked her up, "come on, let's get her home."


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30: A Dark Road

They were met by a medical team halfway back to the village, the medics swarmed around Tsubaki asking Kakashi for information. "From what I can tell she's just malnourished, but she's not been awake since we recovered her," he answered handing the girl off to the medical ninja.  
"What about the rest of you, any injuries?" the captain asked looking around at the recovery team.  
"No," Kakashi answered shaking his head. The captain's gaze rested on Isamu for a minute, they all knew he was checking to make sure Isamu was completely fine. "Come on. I have to go report to the Hokage."  
Kakashi and his team led the way back into the village where the Hokage met them at the gate. She seemed angry at their return without a captive, but relieved at their own missing kunoichi returned. Naruto and Sakura were there too, flanking the Hokage.  
Sakura hugged Isamu when they came in, he pulled away after a very brief embrace, and then she hugged Sasuke. Naruto clapped his son on the shoulder and flashed a grin at Kakashi and Sasuke, who was finally freed as Sakura went to hug Kohaku.  
"What happened, Kakashi?" Tsunade asked as the medical ninja took Tsubaki into the village.  
"We underestimated her Lady Hokage," Kakashi sighed rubbing the back of his neck. The Hokage nodded looking over at Naruto and his family.  
"At least you got Tsubaki, we'll discuss the mission later," Kakashi nodded. "I'll need to talk with everyone who fought against her, we need all the information we can get about her techniques," Kakashi sighed.  
"Isamu and Kohaku are the ones who met this woman in combat."  
Tsunade did not look at him, she did not need to. Kakashi could tell what she was thinking as she looked at Naruto and the others. They had peace once again, but for how long? And who was this new enemy that had targeted Naruto?  
"I'll expect the report in an hour," Kakashi sighed watching Tsunade walk away. Hopefully he would be able to pull Isamu away from his parents and his sister's side at that time.

"Her body is in shock, it seems she has suffered a trauma recently, I'd say less than twenty-four hours. These marks on her neck suggest her air way was blocked, possibly crushed," the medic shook his head, "but only partially, she's breathing on her own. And as Kakashi suspected she is malnourished." He lifted up her right hand and showed Sakura her fingers. "These marks match the ring around her neck, I would suspect that she was choked and got her hand under the rope; that might be what saved her life." He gently sat Tsubaki's hand down and crossed his arms looking at Sakura. "Apart from the marks on her neck and hand she's not physically harmed."  
"So what's our next move," Sakura stood at the end of the bed looking over the chart the medic had brought in.  
"We will attempt to reconstruct the damaged portion of her throat and hope that the she wasn't without oxygen for a period of time long enough to cause any permanent damage to her brain."

Isamu sat on the swing outside of the academy; he had done what he set out to do. He had rescued his sister. What was more was he no longer felt like he was unfit to be a shinobi. Something about this mission had pulled him from the slump he had been in. And as awesome as it felt to have been part of the team that brought Tsubaki back, he felt like the mission was still incomplete. That woman was still out there, her company was still ordering attacks, and she still had an assignment to kill his father and Sasuke. And he felt like he could help to stop her.  
True he was still only a genin, but the Chunin Exams were coming up, he had overheard Shikamaru talking about them while he was sulking about the Hokage's office before the rescue mission. If he passed those he could get assigned to the task of finding the woman and who ever she was working for. He would have to train hard for the exams, harder than he had before.  
Thinking about his plans after passing the exams Isamu came to the realization he could not tell Kiku and Hideaki. They would try to stop him saying that his plans were a small step away from seeking revenge, and seeking revenge never helped anyone in the end. Or they could offer to join him. And as much as he would enjoy their help, he could not let them spend all their time on this, they did not care about this like he did.  
"What am I thinking?" he thought aloud sitting up straight on the swing. "If I don't tell them I'll be," he stopped hearing footsteps on the paved street. "Like Sasuke," he breathed watching the man walk down the street.

There had to be someplace he could get away from the people. Ever since Sasuke arrived back in the Village as part of the team bringing Tsubaki home everyone wanted to talk to him. And it was not just about the rescue mission. They wanted to know about what he had been doing since the war, what kind of dark and twisted things Orochimaru had planned all those years ago, where he was living now, how was he adjusting to life in the village, and other mindless chatter. Questions that they did not really care to hear the answer too. Once again he was the center of attention for something he had little or no part of.  
He had resorted to taking round about ways to get around the village, hoping that his routes were always as sparsely traveled as they had been the few times he had used them previously. With his new life in development he wanted to avoid making the same mistakes twice. After the incident he had remained in the spotlight hating everything, this time he was going to let go. And get the village to leave him alone.  
His current route was courtesy of a group of fan-girls who had suddenly just realized how incredibly handsome he was. Sasuke was unsure if this was the hype of being in the team that brought in Tsubaki, or the fact that he was the last of the famed Uchicha and once again part of the village. Or if there was something he had missed completely that was causing all of the attention. Whatever the cause, he was finding it obnoxious, and he was running out of alternate routes to get around.  
As he moved quickly down the street he noticed the Academy rising up before him. He had forgotten that this street lead past the Academy. What was he saying; he hardly got the gist of where any of the smaller streets went, or past, or through…  
He really needed to spend more time familiarizing himself with the layout of the village, and learning the streets.  
Upon approaching the Academy he saw someone sitting on the swing. A wave of nostalgia hit him looking at the boy on the swing. Isamu really did have a knack for looking just like his father. Even his expressions matched Naruto's, a look of shock, compassion and pride-filled anger. What had he been thinking about to warrant such a look from Isamu? Sasuke could not help but wonder as he came closer to the boy.  
"Hello Isamu," he greeted coming to a stop before the swing.  
"Hey Sasuke," he answered, the expression vanishing into the greeting.  
"What are you doing here, I thought you'd be at the hospital."  
"I went there earlier, I was just in the way though," Isamu rocked the swing a little looking up at Sasuke.  
There was an awkward silence between them. What else could Sasuke say to the boy? Idle chatter? Small talk? All that seemed so idiotic to him, he knew Isamu well enough to avoid the idle small talk. The silence was unbearable but Sasuke was unable to find anything to say, so the silence stretched on and on.  
"Sasuke," there was a tone of curiosity behind his name, and Isamu had spoken very softly.  
"Yes?" he asked in return.  
Isamu cast his eyes down to the ground between his feet, hesitant to ask his question. "Do—when," he inhaled deeply and sighed dropping his shoulders. Sasuke looked questioningly at Isamu, waiting for the question. "How," Isamu paused again, "how do you let go?" he raised his head slightly casting a doubtful look up at Sasuke from beneath a creased brow.  
Let go? What was Isamu talking about? What did he have to let go of? He had a good life. Loving parents, a sister anyone would be proud to have, two of the most trust worthiest people Sasuke had met recently as best friends, he was an excellent shinobi with a promising future… What could Isamu possibly want to let go of?  
"Let go?" he heard himself mutter without noticing he had decided the words needed to be spoken aloud. Isamu nodded lifting his head up a little higher. Sasuke shook his head, again before he noticed that was what he had decided to do.  
Isamu sighed lowering himself again. If Sasuke could not tell him, who could he ask about forgiving and abandoning the quest for vengeance he was so close to stumbling upon? He shook his head slowly, "I'm scared Sasuke."  
He heard Sasuke gasp, "why?"  
"Dad's told me the stories, about when you were all genin together, and how you sought to avenge your clan. It was all you ever thought about," Isamu lifted his head up to look at Sasuke, to judge how this was affecting him, to see if he could continue. "I'm scared I'll end up like that," he felt water welling in his eyes, and felt a warming flush creep up his neck.  
Sudden realization hit Sasuke like a smack to the face. He had never thought that his actions from so long ago could affect young shinobi now. What else had his past actions sparked amongst the young shinobi? And who did Isamu hate so much that he felt he could slip into the life of an avenger that Sasuke had once embraced? He shook his head sub-consciously, Isamu would never do that. He was Isamu-the light-hearted kind and caring child of the Hidden Leaf's greatest hero since the Fourth Hokage, his own grandfather. He would never think about going down such a dark path, would he?  
"You won't," Sasuke was amazed at how much he decided to do during this conversation without realizing he wanted to do it, but it was too late now he'd already spoken.

Something burned at the edge of her conscious, something important that she needed to remember. She reached for it trying with her energy to find out what it was. What could be so important that it pulled her from the warm folds of the nothingness she had come to enjoy so much?  
Pain?  
Was that what this burning sensation was? Pain? Or was it a feeling of need; a burning need to tell someone something, something important? Could it be both? As she drew closer to whatever it was that was burning at her conscious she felt something else.  
Pain! Actual pain was one of the burning sensations. And the other was a forceful thought. She had to tell someone something that was very important, but who did she have to tell this information too and what she had to tell them was still lost in the nothingness that was quickly evaporating.  
Tsubaki gasped and tried to sit up and quickly determined that was not a good idea because her head had no intentions of rising from the pillow. She snapped her eyes open and tried to reach up and massage her neck to ease the pain. Her hands were impeded by something and for the briefest of moments she just knew she was still in that tiny little room with the chakra rope tied around her and they were about to constrict again binding her arms to her sides.  
But the quick snap of the ropes never came, and as the initial panic passed she noted that she was not in the dark depressing room tied up. Not that she could readily name where she was now. At least it lack the ropes.  
She groaned rubbing her neck gently and felt the rough marks around her throat. That would be the cause of the pain, she thought running her fingers over the marks again. She tried to remember what had caused those marks, but there was nothing there, just the blank nothing she had felt the burning sensation in. And then there was that bit of information that was gnawing at her that she knew had to be told to someone, but she could not remember who it was that the incredibly vital information affected.  
She opened her mouth to speak, but the words never got past her throat, the simple action of opening her mouth had caused a flare of pain. Determined, she tried once again, managing a small croak that drew the attention of someone out of her field of vision. The man had vibrant yellow hair and smiled down at her. It was strange, she thought, that this man was crying.


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31: The Chunin Exams

She's awake, that was the only thought running through Naruto's mind as he looked at his daughter in the hospital bed. That was a small victory, but from what he could tell it was very small. She had been unable to speak, the horrible sound she had produced was heart-wrenching, a far cry from the usual sweet sound her vocal cords produced. He could feel tears running down his cheeks as he held the girl's hand in his own.  
She looked up at him with wide, curious eyes. The doctors had said something about the brief suffocation possibly causing damage to her brain, he hoped that the look on her face was simply from waking up in a strange place and not from suffering mentally from the ordeal.  
"It's alright Tsubaki," he said gently smiling at her and stroking her hair. She gulped but otherwise remained completely still; in her eyes he saw what he hoped was recognition of his voice speaking her name.

He still remembered from the first time he sat in this room that he was suppose to be cheating, sadly his skills were nowhere near where they had been before. Once again he cursed silently at the fact that he had let his abilities slip so far. Sasuke was the farthest forward of his team, he had no idea how they were fairing and looking around he could see others sloppy attempts at finding the answers.  
His first instinct was to try to find the persons who had been planted with the answers. The answers had been meaningless the last time he took the test, but this was not like last time and it could not possibly hurt to try answering them.  
Going in he felt as nervous as the last time but this time something felt severally out of alignment. He had wondered about it while sitting with his team waiting for the first phase to begin, and looking around the room, seeing the teams all talking and joking he realized what it was. As much as he got along with his new team, it was not the same as when he had been with Naruto and Sakura. They were his team, they had done this together, and then he left them.  
Taking the exams with someone else could never work as well as it had with team seven. They had know everything about each other back then, he hardly knew his new team and had the sinking suspicion that the lack of familiarity would lead to problems in the second phase of the exam.  
But that would have to wait. At the moment what he needed to do was focus on this written exam. There were nine questions, with the promise of a tenth one just before the end of an hour. It was half way through the allotted time and six teams had been caught cheating five times and were expelled from the exam room. Sasuke had finally found one of the people with the correct answers and using his Sharingan started to copy the answers.  
"Numbers seventeen, thirty, and ten," another team had been caught cheating and there was still five minutes before the tenth question would be released. Sasuke sighed looking over his paper. That was it; all he had left to do was answer the tenth question. He gulped subconsciously gripping his pencil tightly, hopefully this was like last time and the tenth question was bogus.

Luckily the tenth question was bogus and his teammates did not get caught cheating or chickened out when the proctor gave out the rules of the question, a lot of people did though. Afterward they all moved to the location of the second part of the exams, Sasuke and his team stood by watching as the seven other teams received their marked scrolls behind the canvas walls of the tent.  
"So what's the plan for finding the other scroll," Katsu, the younger of his teammates asked.  
Sasuke shrugged looking over to Susumu; he normally was fairly apt to planning.  
"I say we pick a team and take their scroll. If that's not what we need we try again, chances are we'll find the correct scroll with in the first two tries." It sounded reasonable, there would be four of the scroll they needed and only three of the other.  
"We'll need to work quickly to find and set up the ambush site. There are four green teams out there. They won't be ready for it unless they've had a lot of unexpected things happen to them on missions." Katsu commented spinning a kunai on the ground digging out a shallow hole.  
Sasuke thought back to all the things that happened to him, Naruto, and Sakura during their first year with Kakashi. They had more than their fair share of unexpected and even that had failed to prepare them for what happened during the second part of the exams. It could be that it was just them, the odd collection of students and their Sensei—so Katsu could be right. A quick hit and they'd have their scroll and be set, or it could be harder than Katsu thought which could be the case since he had yet to pass the exams.  
"It's best we not take any chances," he responded looking back to the tent, "you never know what the teams deal with on missions." Susumu nodded his agreement; Katsu spun his kunai over his finger and tucked it away in his holster standing up.  
"Right, now let's go."  
The proctors started calling for the teams to find an entrance point, it was time to start the second portion of the test.

One day, six hours, thirty-eight minutes and forty three seconds in, they had a target. Katsu had picked out the ambush sight with Sasuke while Susumu scouted out a team suspected to have the scroll they needed. The team was a group of first time exam takers from the Hidden Cloud Village, they worked well together, but the Forrest was getting to them. Sasuke could see in their movements they had never really faced anything extremely challenging, they were perfect targets.  
Two days, eight hours, two minutes and fifteen seconds in, they launched their attack. Sasuke had been monitoring them a little less thirteen hours; he had used his Sharingan to really get in sync with the designated target. When the boy separated himself for a moment to relieve himself Katsu took him out with a swift blow, the boy never even made a sound. Sasuke transformed while Susumu checked to make sure the boy was not the one holding the team's scroll, when they did not find it, they drug the boy away concealing him it a thick bush.  
"Remember the pass code," Katsu asked checking the perimeter of their small camp.  
"Yeah, but this kid doesn't," Sasuke poked himself in the chest mocking the mannerisms of the shinobi he was impersonating, even throwing in a lopsided grin. "I think the one who set the pass code knows this one won't remember it; I'd say he expected him to forget it probably because he's the weakest on the team."  
"It's a defense," Susumu added quietly. Sasuke nodded his agreement—that was exactly what he had done with Naruto when they took the test together twenty years ago.  
"Alright, let's do this." Sasuke walked back out of the clearing.  
"What's the pass code?" the kunoichi challenged. Sasuke was tempted to answer with the pass code, but he knew that was wrong.  
He spread the goofy lopsided grin across his face knowing that it would fool them, "It's uh—it's," he paused rubbing the back of his head with the grin spreading farther. The third member shook his head putting his weapons away.  
"You're such an idiot Kaito." Sasuke's grin grew a little bigger.

It must have been dumb luck; that was the only way Sasuke could explain that the Hidden Cloud genin did not automatically attack him when he did not have a comeback for when he was called an idiot. Maybe this Kaito did not get flustered when he was called an idiot, but that would make him the only person who simply could not be insulted. But it had worked, and they had the scroll and it was the one they needed.  
"Perfect, now all we have to do is make it to the middle of the forest with these and we're home free."  
"How far away are we," Sasuke asked taking one of the scrolls to deposit into his scroll pouch, handing two copies to Katsu and Susumu.  
"Three or four kilometers, we can easily cover that tomorrow," Susumu said handing out the copies of the second scroll.  
"So long as we don't hit any complications," Katsu said tucking the two fake scrolls into his pouch.  
So long as we don't, Sasuke agreed.


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32: The Uzumaki Children

Isamu sighed, leaning back with his hands behind his head and blew his hair out of his face. It was a about time for a haircut but he did not feel like it, he was starting to like the shaggy look. Normally he would be training now, but Haru-Sensei was doing something and they would not have any training or missions until the following week so he had nothing to do. He could have gone and found Kiku or Hideaki, but ever since his failed rescue attempt with them Isamu did not really feel like hanging out with them all the time. And they were no doubt doing something else, it was around that time that Kiku and her family normally went on a vacation, and Hideaki had said something the other day about an all week training session with his older twin brothers.  
"Sigh," he commented lamely looking up at the clouds. There had to be something he could do beside sit in the yard. He could have gone up to the hospital to see Tsubaki, she was almost able to talk normally now, but he felt he would just be in the way up there. He guessed he could have tagged along with his dad; Naruto was going to a meeting with the Village Elders and the Hokage about this new threat or something like that. He would have had some worthwhile information to add, but he was not a fan of the old couple, they gave him distant, bone-chilling stares when they had to look at him and otherwise ignored his presence.  
"Isamu," his mother's call came from inside the house. She must have a mission if she's home this early, he reasoned judging that there was still a good four hours before she would normally be home.  
"Back here," he pushed himself up onto his elbows looking over at the house. His mother's face appeared in one of the windows, her headband was tied with the forehead protector in place, the leaf symbol framed by her pink hair.  
"I have an assignment. I shouldn't be gone more than three days. Tell your dad, and make sure you go see Tsubaki while I'm gone," she gave him a stern look that he shrugged aside. He had rarely made trips out to the hospital to see his sister and his parents knew it.  
"I will mom," he gave her a small smile standing up and crossing the yard. She wrapped him in a hug and kissed the top of his head.  
"I love you," she whispered.  
"I love you too mom," he squeezed her tighter and then let go.  
"Be good, and remember," she left the sentence hanging.  
"I know, I know. I'll go see her," Sakura smiled and embraced him briefly once again and then left, grabbing her pack as she left the house.  
Isamu sighed again looking around the house. He might as well go and see Tsubaki, he folded his hands behind his head and walked out of the house and started down the street.

The bruising on her neck had finally faded away along with the strange bumps she had felt when she woke up in the hospital. Her voice was slowly returning from the sound of nails on a chalkboard and she felt her strength returning. She was getting better and glad to see her friends coming in along with her teammates to see how she was doing. She had seen everyone except her brother.  
Isamu had been there twice and both times he had been with other people and had stayed in the background watching the room closely. She had wanted to say something to him, but it was still painful to speak above a whisper and he had always left before everyone else. She really wanted to see him, to talk to him about what had happened when they rescued her.  
Tsubaki sighed looking out the window and clenched her fists around the white linen sheets. It was not fair, apart from not being able to talk loudly she was perfectly fine but the doctors still refused to let her go home. Isamu had been in worse condition than she was in and he did not stay in the hospital for as long as she had been there. She knew it would not be so bad once they stopped worrying over everything little thing they believed to be abnormal. As far as she could tell the main reason she was still so closely watched was because they were not sure if her mind was still what they referred to as "intact."  
If they would only ask her they would know her mind was just fine, but since they did not and it seemed like they never would, she would just have to content herself with sitting there. Even that could have been more bearable if Isamu would just come to talk to her.  
The door slid open suddenly, and even though it shocked her she did not look to see who it was, just knowing it was another nurse or doctor coming to ask the rhetorical questions: "How are you feeling today? Any change? Can you remember what you did this morning? Yesterday?" and so on, never waiting to hear her reply.  
"You know, this room is way better than the dump they put me in," the familiar voice speaking so casually was enough to make Tsubaki's breath catch in her throat. "I mean look at that window, it looks out over the garden," Isamu grinned producing a small bouquet from behind his back.  
"You jerk," she snapped hoarsely accepting the flowers. "Why didn't you come see me before?"  
Isamu's grin faded slowly as his head and shoulders dropped. "I couldn't," he said not offering any more. Tsubaki opened her mouth to respond, but could not find any type of response.  
"So when are they letting you out?" he asked looking out the window to the clear blue sky and the white rolling clouds.  
Tsubaki slouched into the bed crossing her arms, "not anytime soon."  
Isamu looked over at his sister with a plan forming in his head. He might not want to hang out with Hideaki and Kiku, and might not even be able to since they had some type of plans. But Tsubaki was a different story, and he was going to bust her out of the hospital. Isamu hopped up and strolled out to the door, where Tsubaki's chart was sitting. Idly he picked it up and started flipping through the sheets of paper making a "hmmm" noise.  
Tsubaki raised a brow at him as he looked over her chart nodding. After looking through the papers three or four times he set the chart down and reentered the room stroking his chin thoughtfully.  
"Well, miss," he stopped looking for a name, and suddenly smiled having found it, "Uzumaki. I have looked over your charts, and being a highly," he stressed the word, "trained medical shinobi have determined you are fit for one afternoon in the sunshine of a park." Tsubaki shot her brother a quizzical look as he continued. "Of course, we can't have the nurses in on this, they'll inform doctors, not nearly as qualified as I," he placed his hand on his chest, "and have you hauled back here, post-haste."  
"You're busting me out of the hospital?"  
"We are going on an outing," he maintained the doctor-ly tone as he crossed the room and opened the window.  
"What about mom and dad?"  
"Mom's not in the village, I'm sure she told you." Tsubaki conceded the point; their mother had said she was being sent on an extended mission out of the village.  
"What about dad?"  
A mischievous grin creased her brother's features, "what dad doesn't know won't get the medical staff in trouble." Tsubaki rolled her eyes at the comment, but threw her blankets aside anyway and joined her brother at the open window. "You'll be back before they even notice you're gone," Isamu leapt lightly into the window and held his hand out for Tsubaki.  
She accepted the hand and joined him in the window, just before they jumped the door slid open and a nurse walked in. "Or maybe a little sooner," Isamu pulled his older sister out of the window. Together they started off on the rooftops listening to the shouts of the nurse and laughing.

He did not have time for this. He was suppose to be joining Granny Tsunade in the forty-fourth training ground for the chunin exams, not leading the chase in for his two delinquent children. In hindsight he should have expected something like this. Tsubaki had a fiery personality and she'd never been subjected to spending an extended amount of time in the hospital; they all should have expected her try an escape. And naturally Isamu had joined in on this; it was never just one of them.  
"Naruto, still no sign of them at your home," one of the chunin helping reported, he was one of many. They had looked everywhere and the pair where nowhere to be found, not at the house, Ichiraku, at the guard house, the Hokage Faces, or any of their other favorite places. They'd also looked at anyplace they had ever been known to visit, including the Hokage's office.  
"Go look again, they have to be somewhere," the shinobi nodded and started off again. Naruto watched him go his mind working furiously trying to determine where Tsubaki and Isamu could be. They would not be in any of the obvious places—obvious being out of way because the regular hangouts were constantly monitored—and they were not in their normally frequented areas. He ran his fingers through his hair; there were only so many places the two of them could be.  
"Has anyone looked around the wall, all the way around it?" several shinobi took off running at the question—apparently not.  
"Naruto, Lady Hokage says you need to meet her outside of the forty-forth training ground. It's nearly time," Naruto sighed running his fingers through his hair again. He really did not have time for this, and if Sakura came home and found out Tsubaki had escaped from the Hospital he'd never hear the end of it. And he would be in even more trouble because he had failed to stopped Isamu from helping her escape.  
"I'll be there shortly," he told the messenger and jumped off his lookout heading toward the Hokage Faces.

"Admit it, you're lost," Isamu cast Tsubaki a look a little less vicious than he had planned.  
"I'm not lost, I can't be lost, we're still in the village," he returned sharply.  
"Then where are we?" Isamu would have punched her if he thought that would be the end of it. But he knew better, if he hit her she'd hit him back, harder, and then he'd hit her and it would keeping going until something drastic happened to make them forget about it. And judging by the fact they had not seen anyone in about an hour, nothing drastic would happen for a very long time.  
"In the village, near the wall, in a place where no one can find us a drag you back to the hospital and escort me to dad for punishment. See we're not lost, I know exactly where we are."  
"Okay, we're not lost. But what is this place you've lead us too inside the village wall where no one can drag us back to where we don't want to be?" That was a nice way of asking if-you-know-where-we-are-then-where-are-we-and-this-time-be-specific? If he was not lost and trying to figure out where they were he would have given her props for that, but he really did not have a specific location for where they were in the village.  
Looking around he could see where the ground dipped, it instantly caught attention, no part of the village dipped—there were not even any hills—it was flat until the wall. "Look, a hole," he said leading the way over to what he assumed was a hole.  
"What do you mean a hole?" Tsubaki was close behind him trying to see what he was looking at.  
"Look the ground slopes, there's a depression—a hole," Isamu stopped at the edge of the depression.  
It really was a hole. The ground sloped downward around what looked like a man-made door in the earth. "It must be really old," Tsubaki said stepping closer to the doorway. "Look at it, this was hand carved into the ground."  
"It can't be that old, the whole area was flattened when mom and dad were teenagers."  
"Well it looks that old," Tsubaki said poking her head into the door way. "Come on Isamu, let's check it out." A mischievous grin spread across Tsubaki's face as she turned back to look at him.  
He looked over his shoulder back the way they had come, someone could be there watching them, they could block them in—what was he thinking? They were in the village, who would be out to get them in the village? He shook the thought away and turned back to his sister and grinned, "Let's see what's hiding in this hole."

He watched them enter the hole in the ground. His mind was not fixed on that they entered a hole but at the fact that that was the only way out. It would not take much and he could be rid of both of them, the two who caused him so many problems and had him expelled from the Academy, so close to his graduation. He liked that idea; he would be ridding the village of two of its three biggest problems in one act. After that, when the people realized how much of a threat those two had been he would be celebrated s a hero; they would praise him for saving them for certain doom that was only a few years away.  
Now, how to block the exit? He did not know any jutsu that could move the ground and seal the hole, and he would not have the time or the strength to move rocks large enough to block the opening. But there had to be something he could do to trap those two in there.  
He moved out of the trees he had been watching from to go inspect the hole, there had to something he could do to trap them. Something he could do quickly would be better. At the hole he found nothing to help him. There were no supports that would allow him to collapse the tunnel quickly and no way to make the compacted earth crumble away quickly. He cursed running his hands over the sides of the tunnel, smooth and faultless.  
"How am I supposed to do this?" he asked himself.

"Are you sure they came this way?"  
"No, I lied about seeing my best friend and his sister heading this way running from some higher ranked shinobi," Hideaki snapped. He was growing irritated by Kiku's constant presence and doubt in him, and her complaining and all the stuff she used to do to Isamu but since Isamu had been avoiding them recently it had fallen on Hideaki.  
"You don't have to be so snappy, I was just making sure because there's nothing out here," Kiku as replied defiantly as she could while running.  
"Then just trust me," he said speeding up. "I think I see them," Hideaki slid to a stop just inside of the tree line, Kiku stopping right beside him. Sure enough Isamu and Tsubaki were standing out in the grass looking down at something between the two of them. Tsubaki said something to Isamu and then jumped and disappeared into the ground, Isamu said something to his sister and then looked around. Hideaki was sure Isamu looked right at him before he disappeared into the ground with his sister.  
"Where'd they go?" Kiku asked starting forward.  
"Wait," Hideaki stopped Kiku from leaving the trees, a fraction of a second later another figure exited the trees heading toward where Isamu and Tsubaki had melted into the ground. "Is that—"  
"It can't be. Can it?" Kiku asked narrowing her gaze on the figure.  
"I think it is."  
"What should we do?"  
Hideaki looked back over his shoulder toward the main part of the village. If it was who he thought it was they would need someone to back them up, preferably an elite to stop anything from happening. But there was no time to go make sure it was who they thought it was, because if it was, Isamu and Tsubaki could be in a lot of trouble.  
"I think we can take him. I mean we've been training a lot with Haru-Sensei, we're way better than we were last time."  
"What if we can't?" Kiku did not look away from the boy standing out in the clearing, but Hideaki already knew what her expression was.  
"We can," he answered dropping to the ground, he slid forward on his stomach silently.  
If it was Hibiki, they would have to be fast and harbor the element of surprise.

"Are you touching me?" the whisper echoed around the darkness enclosing them.  
"Why would I be touching you?" Isamu responded trying to determine how close he actually was to his sister, he was not sure but he did not think it was Tsubaki that he was using to guide himself along the tunnel.  
"Then what's on my back?" she breathed reaching behind her to find what was hanging on her clothes.  
"I don't know, I can't see anything," he felt something grab his hand. "Tsubaki, something's on my hand."  
"Hang on, I've got whatever's on my back," Tsubaki pulled her hand away from her back to dislodge whatever had been there and Isamu stumbled forward as his hand was jerked toward the ground violently and crashed into Tsubaki's back. "What did you do that for?" Tsubaki pushed Isamu off of her and stood up brushing away dirt from her shirt.  
"Something pulled me," Isamu responded dusting his knees.  
"You idiot, you were touching me," Tsubaki whispered turning to where she hoped Isamu was standing.  
"Sorry, I can't see anything in here," he shot back a little louder than he wanted too; the echo was loud enough to wake something living in the hole. Screeching bats flew around their heads, a few flying into Isamu and Tsubaki as they flew toward the exit.  
"Shush, you'll wake everything up."  
"Sorry," Isamu whispered looking blindly around in the dark. "So what do you think this place is?"  
"A hole in the ground," if there had been any light in this place Ismau would have used it to given his sister a "duh" look.  
"Really I hadn't noticed, but now that we've got the obvious out of the way—"  
"You're the one who asked the stupid question."  
"There's no such thing as a stupid question."  
"Then you're a curious idiot," Ismau and Tsubaki both knew this could keep going one rebuke after the other, but neither wanted to the one to admit defeat.  
"It's better to ask than to never know."  
"Better to just not sound stupid."  
There was a loud echoing knock in the tunnel, coming from the way they had come. The argument was instantly forgotten as they both started running back down the tunnel. They were hit with a wall of dust and screeching bats.  
"The bats, something must be blocking the exit!"  
"I don't know if I've told you this, but recently I've become claustrophobic."  
"Fantastic," Ismau breathed, "that's really great to know before we die."

Naruto was running out of places to look and time to search for his A.W.O.L. children. He was checking around the wall, it felt like the millionth time he had gone around the village that morning and it would probably feel like a million more before he found them, but he would continue to look for them. He stopped on one of the higher branches of a cluster of trees and looked out, to his left he could see where the Uchiha Compound had been. He was not sure if someone had checked there but it never hurt to look again.  
He started off toward the clearing. Halfway there he heard a loud explosion and saw a dust cloud start to rise. He inhaled reflexively looking at the cloud, it was coming from the clearing, something was happening out there. He sped up.  
When he arrived on the scene there were three figures out in the middle of the clearing in the middle of the now settling dust cloud. It appeared to be an uneven fight, two ganging up on the third and the third was winning. With a burst of energy he rushed into the dust to help the out matched fighters.  
It was Kiku and Hideaki against Hibiki Touji. He stopped the fight in an instant pinning the boy to the ground and sending Kiku and Hideaki backwards to fall to the ground.  
"Get off me," Hibiki thrashed trying to free himself from Naruto's firm grip.  
"Calm down," he applied more pressure to further restrict the boy's movement. "Now tell me what's going on here," he looked over to the other two. Kiku was sporting a bloody nose and Hideaki's left eye was swelling up already.  
"Ismau and Tsubaki are in that hole!" Kiku attempted to say through a spray blood pointing at a pile of large rocks.  
Naruto's eyes narrowed looking between the girl and the rocks.  
"They're trapped," Hideaki jumped to his feet and ran to the rocks.  
Hearing that stopped all other thoughts in Naruto's mind, even the part trying to process what Kiku had said. He quickly cast a shadow clone jutsu at hold Hibiki and a summoning jutsu to call Gamakichi and started to move the rocks away.  
"What happened?"  
"They went in and then Hibiki collapsed the entrance, we got here too late to stop him," Hideaki panted as he moved what he could, it did not seem like they were getting anywhere.  
"Who?"  
"Isamu and Tsubaki," Naruto felt his stomach drop.

She was going to die, she just knew it. It was so dark, and the air was already growing stale. She was finding it impossible breathe, it was too much. Cold sweat covered her and she could feel her heart pounding in her ears. She started gasping to try and get air, she just knew she was going to die.  
"Isamu you've got to get us out of here," she cried dropping on the floor and hugging her knees. "I can't do this, I can't—I can't do this."  
She felt his hand on her shoulder; the air seemed to vanish from around her as she took bigger gasps for air. "It's alright Tsubaki; we'll get out of this."  
"I—I can't Isamu, I can't," she cried hugging her knees tighter.  
"It's alright, just calm down," his voice was soothing; it brought back a minute piece of calm—of normality."Just breathe alright. I'm going to try and dig up out."  
She nodded before she realized that he couldn't see the movement, "Okay," she took a deep breath and let it out slowly.  
Ismau would figure something out, he was smart. As long as she remained as calm as possible Ismau could work and then she'd be out of this and back in the hospital room with the large window that let in generous amounts of fresh air. She felt her heart rate quicken again, there was not any air in this place, it was dark and stale, she was going to die down in this tomb; there was no way Ismau could dig them out—they were trapped.  
"Ismau are you still here?" she felt tears rolling down her cheeks as she looked around to try and determine where her brother had gone.  
"Yeah, I'm still here," he sounded so far away from her.  
"What are you doing?"  
"I found the entrance; I'm going to start moving some of this stuff. Don't worry sis, we'll be fine." She could envision his smile as he spoke those reassuring words, but it did not help, she still felt everything closing in around her.  
Isamu knew he had to work quickly, chances were there was not anyone around when this happened and no one knew where they where and Tsubaki was freaking out, and he did not know any jutsu that would quickly move this, and it was dark and he was fairly certain the collapsed entrance was the only way out of this place. All in all he did not have much time before Tsubaki really did freak out and then he'd really have a problem because that would use up their limited supply of oxygen even faster. But he was not crazy strong—he was only eleven how could he be?—and most of what was blocking the exit was at least half his size and twice his body weight, but he had to try.  
This was his fault he was the one who broke Tsubaki out of the hospital and he was the one who pointed this stupid hole out. So if they died together down here it would be his fault too. He just could not do anything right could he?  
'Don't worry sis, I'll get us out of here,' he promised starting to roll what he could away.  
After the first rock several smaller ones shifted positions and raised another dust cloud, he coughed momentarily then continued working. He had to get out of this, he had to help Tsubaki. Another miniature avalanche cascaded around him, and then a small spot of light cut through the black. There was an opening, he reached for it—a hand grabbed him and pulled him from the hole in the ground.  
Gasping he felt strong arms wrap around him, "are you okay?"  
He nodded slowly looking up at his father. "Where's Tsubaki?"  
"She's still in there," he said pointing at the tunnel. Naruto released him and jumped into the hole he had dug Ismau out of.  
It was pitch black in the tunnel, he could not see anything but he could hear the muffled sobs and gasps of air coming from farther down the tunnel. "Tsubaki," he called softly not want to disrupt the delicate balance of the fallen rocks.  
"Daddy," he heard her cry, he rushed forward and wrapped his arms around his daughter. She sobbed into his chest as he carried her out of the hole.


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33: A Woman Named Rōtasu

Only four teams made it through the Forest of Death it the allotted time, they were instantly dismissed for the month of training before the finals. Sasuke walked through the streets wondering what he could possibly do in this month to prepare, and who he could enlist to help him. Kakashi seemed like the obvious choice, but he had already done so much one-on-one with Kakashi recently it seemed just a bit redundant. And he was unsure about which of the other elite could be of much use to him.  
He sighed walking up to Naruto and Sakura's house, maybe one of them would know what to do since they seemed so immersed in the system. He walked through the front door and started for the kitchen where the residents would normally be hanging out, either eating or studying or waiting on someone else to come home. When he entered he found it empty, he did not think anything of it, just browsed for something to snack on and then sat at the table to wait. Several hours later he was still the only one in the house.  
Sasuke got up and walked through the house looking for some clue as to where everyone had gone. There was not a note anywhere saying someone had left the village, which meant that someone must have been home to hear the news or they were all still in the village. He did not see any sign of Tsubaki being in the house so he assumed she was still at the hospital. Tsunade had said Naruto had been preoccupied with something and that was why he had not attended the meeting at the Forest of Death, she neglected to say what but it must have been important for Naruto to miss the Chunin Exams. Isamu, as far as Sasuke knew, should have been roaming around the house or the Village since his Sensei, Haru, was a proctor for the exams. And Sakura was no doubt doing something for Lady Hokage and would be held up for a few more hours. It did not look like anyone had been in the house recently, so sighing, Sasuke headed for the front door to start walking around.  
He had barely made it out of the house when he bumped into someone, "sorry," he muttered helping her pick the scattering belongs he had knocked from her hands.  
"It's alright, I wasn't watching what I was doing," he looked up to see beautiful crystalline eyes set in a lightly tanned and freckled face framed with hair the color of ash. A lopsided smile pulled at full lips forming a dimple and set the crystalline eyes sparkling as they looked into his.  
"My name's Rōtasu," he was drawn into her words.  
"Sasuke," he mumbled extending her belongings out to her. She smiled and laughed a little.  
"I know who you are," she smiled. "You're the guy who helped bring back Uzumaki Tsubaki, with the Copy-Cat Ninja." He smiled back at her.  
"Well she is the daughter of my best friend," he said hoping that he did not sound like he was bragging.  
Rōtasu's smile grew as she tucked her things under her arm. "Well that's something I didn't know about you," she started to walk the street looking back at Sasuke to see if he was following.  
"What do you know about me?" Sasuke asked starting to walk along side her.  
"I know you have an apartment, but rarely ever stay there. And I know you often train the Hatake Kakashi when you're not on a mission or training with your team. I know that sometimes you like to go to the clearing on the edge of the Village where the Uchiha Compound used to be when you're angered or saddened."  
"How do you know that?" he asked intrigued.  
"My father lives out near where the Uchiha Compound was, he sees you from time to time. And my sister lives near the noodle shop you like to visit with the Orange Ninja and his family," she answered with a brilliant smile.  
"Do you have connections all over the village?"  
"I have a rather large family," she kept looking over at him, her dimple growing even deeper as her smile grew. "They all say you're a hero."  
"What about you?"  
"I think you're a guy who likes bumping into people to start a conversation with them."  
"Well, so long as it works," what was he saying? "So, you know all this stuff about me, but I know about you is your name and that you have a large family. What else is there to this charming person?" She laughed, but not in a mocking way.  
"Well how about you treat me to dinner and I'll consider it," Sasuke smiled and laughed taking her things and holding them under his arm.  
"Would you consider joining me for noodles? I know a very nice place not too far from here."  
"I would be delighted."

"Sasuke," Ismau used a questioning tone as he waved a hand in front of Sasuke's face. "Sasuke!" Sasuke shook his head and turned to face Ismau.  
"What?"  
"Are you coming or not?" Sasuke opened his mouth to reply but had no idea what Ismau had asked him to do, or with who.  
"Sorry, what?" he earned an exaggerated sigh for his question.  
"You said you'd help me and Kiku and Hideaki with some stuff," he sounded like he had already said that a few times.  
"I did?" Ismau nodded, "I did, well come on, let's get going." He stood up and started for the door. As he opened the door he noticed that Ismau had not followed, "what's wrong I thought we had training to do?"Ismau gave another exaggerated sigh shaking his head.  
"Come on," he walked to the back door.  
On the back walk he found Ismau sitting between his two friends and all three of them looking up at him. It was like an ambush from a trio of eleven-year-olds and Sasuke had a sinking feeling he would not come out of this victoriously. But he continued anyway.  
"Who's that woman you keep spending all you time with?" Well that was direct.  
"Time that you should be using to train for the finals," direct and right on target.  
"She's just a friend," Sasuke answered vaguely. He was hoping for more, but friendship was a good place to start.  
"How long have you known her?" What was with the questions?  
"A few weeks."  
"What do you talk about with her?"  
"Any fighting tips from her?"  
"No, she's not a kunoichi, we just talk about regular stuff."  
"Like what?"  
"Well what do you three talk about when you're not training?"  
"This isn't about us Sasuke."  
"Then what is this about?" he nearly shouted.  
"We don't trust her," Sasuke looked straight into Isamu's eyes. He sighed inwardly.  
Of course Isamu and his friend would be suspicious of people like this, after what happened last time; but this was different from last time. This was a grown woman who had family in the Village, people he had met and found out had worked with Naruto and Sakura and other people he knew Isamu would know well.  
"I can respect that, given circumstances. But this is different than last time."  
"We need to meet her," Sasuke's gaze fell over to Hideaki.  
"We?" he asked motioning to the three of them. They nodded.  
"Last time we," Hideaki motioned to himself and Kiku, "hardly had any contact. So if it's that they won't know what hit them."  
"And we'll have to meet her alone."  
Yep, it was an ambush Sasuke could not come out of victoriously. He sighed admitting his defeat.

She seemed normal enough, kind and smiley. Nothing like last time, but that meant nothing to them. If she knew what they were doing she would be kind and sweet to them anyway so they would not give her plans away.  
They knew what she was up to.  
"So, what did you want to talk about?" Rōtasu smiled at them, her smile was lopsided. Could a transformation make a lopsided smile like that?  
"What do you want with Sasuke?"  
She smiled at them, "I'm hoping to make him a very happy man."  
"What does that mean?" the suspicious questions would not be deterred.  
"Why are you questioning me like this?"  
"Sasuke's our friend. We won't let anything happen to him." A look of understanding crossed Rōtasu's features.  
"I think it's awful, what happened to Sasuke. I would never do anything like that, I promise." The three of them looked suspiciously, hoping she would break beneath their stares and confess her real intentions, but she never did she just look straight back at them.  
"Alright, Sasuke said you had family that worked with my parents on assignments. I have listed details, so tell me their names and the missions. If something doesn't match up you'll be in big trouble." Rōtasu sighed running her fingers through her hair and started listing off people Isamu had met several times that had gone on a mission with one or both of his parents.

They finally released her after an hour and a half, they smiled at Sasuke as they entered the noodle shop with Rōtasu and sat down at the table. "Well?" Sasuke asked.  
"We've come to an understanding," Isamu spoke for the three of them. "She's heard our rules and has agreed."  
"Rules? What rules?" he asked turning to Rōtasu. She smiled at him and laid her hand on his.  
"It's nothing," she answered winking at Isamu, Kiku and Hideaki, who smiled in return. "Maybe someday they'll let me tell you."


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34: The Finals

Waking up was pleasurable when nothing drastic was looming overhead. There were no hostage situations to deal with, no unconscious children in the hospital, no waiting to see if a plan would work out, no chance that he would be attacked at any given moment. His wife was here, his children were both home and healthy, and his best friend would be promoted by the end of the day.  
Naruto smiled as he sat up and stretched then leaned over to kiss his wife good morning. She smiled and turned to him. "Morning," she smiled.  
"Morning," he smiled kissing her again. He stood up and started for the door. "It's time to get up, we have to be at the area early today."

Sasuke sighed as he looked up at the ceiling of his apartment. This was the day, coming to the close of his preparations and the end of what had started twenty-four years before. He had paid his dues and was ready to move on. He sighed again and sat up throwing aside his covers to stand up. He stretched as he crossed the room for the bathroom.  
After a shower and breakfast he dressed donning all his equipment and headed out for the arena. He walked with his hands deep down in his pockets nodding and smiling to the people he passed and those heading toward the area to get a good seat at the finals. Halfway to the arena Rōtasu joined him. They talked idly as they headed for the arena, at the gate she kissed him on the cheek, "for luck," she whispered.  
His first opponent was a girl from the Hidden Rock Village; her primary attack was easily over powered by his Chidori. They backed off and stared each other down. Sasuke could not tell what this girl was thinking, but he knew that if he let her think about it too long she could possibly pull some very strong attacks out of her arsenal. He knew that the odds of a fire technique beating her was safely moderate, but he needed something he knew would stop her quickly.  
He did not have anything like that, but he did have the Sharingan. He could make her use the weaker techniques so that a few moves could easily overpower her and win him the match.

"I'm interested in seeing what the Uchiha has to show Lady Hokage," The Tsuchikage grinned watching as the opponents backed away to decide their next moves.  
"I expect you to Lord Tsuchikage, it has been years since he has last been seen fighting, and even then you were no more than a young Genin," Tsunade smiled looking over to the young man beside her. The Hidden Rock Village had one of the best teams in the finals along with the Hidden Leaf, and Tsunade was expecting some interesting matches between the two villages. Along with the team from the Hidden Sand Village, the Kazekage sat on her other side, sharing a whispered conversation with Naruto.  
"Has he improved greatly since he returned to the village Lady Hokage?" The Mizukage asked across the Tsuchikage.  
"His skills were phenomenal upon his return and now that he's had specialized training with some of our best shinobi I would say his skills have developed to the level worthy of an Uchiha," Tsunade smiled watching as the girl from the Hidden Rock Village started in for her next attack; the head hunter jutsu.  
"Well it has been years since I've seen an Uchiha in action Lady Hokage," The Raikage crossed his arms watching Sasuke's counter of the head hunter jutsu, "let's hope it's all you've lead us to believe it to be."  
Tsunade smiled leaning back in her chair as the genjutsu Sasuke had cast melted away, his opponent had not moved but still looked like she had been in combat for several minutes if not a few hours. Dramatically slow the girl fell to her knees and sprawled out on the ground face down. Sasuke straightened and looked up toward them a half smile showing, just as it had when he was thirteen.  
"I see he is as skilled with the Sharingan as his brother was," Tsuchikage huffed crossing his arms.  
"More so it would appear," Gaara commented smiling, "it doesn't seem to have the same drastic affects on Sasuke as it did Itachi."

His next opponent came from the Hidden Cloud Village, a tall muscled youth who held an air of importance as he walked across the arena, his hands swaying dramatically at his sides.  
"You fool Uchiha, you think you got want it takes to best one of the Hidden Cloud Shinobi," he half yelled jabbing his thumb into his chest.  
Sasuke did not respond but stood at the ready; he had watched this boy earlier. He was cocky but fast. Sasuke would have to move faster to beat him, it was then that he was thank full he had trained a little with Rock Lee during the past month to increase his speed and endurance; and learned the Leaf Whirlwind. That would be the technique needed to take out this guy, all he would have to do was get behind him, and then take him out, like the preliminaries from the first time he took the exams.  
The boy came in fast like Sasuke expected, his attack already formed, a lightening technique. Sasuke easily dodged and rolled up to the boy's left, a plan forming. The speed of Chidori would be enough to get him close to the boy, and even though he was a lightening type there was always the possibility that he wouldn't know how to handle a lightening type jutsu returned. If he could, hopefully Sasuke would still be close to get behind him and use the Dancing Leaf Shadow followed by the Lion's Barrage to win the match.  
His opponent changed direction suddenly, leaping into the air. Sasuke smiled as he leapt up behind him, Dancing Leaf Shadow. His opponent panicked and twisted around to find Sasuke; "Lion's Barrage!"  
The boy landed spread eagle on the arena floor unconscious. Sasuke landed next to him and knelt down, he was still breathing regularly. Smiling Sasuke stood and waited for the medical team to come retrieve his opponent before leaving the arena.  
The next opponent was a girl from the Hidden Sand Village that looked suspiciously like Tamari and even had a giant fan. She was a long range fighter with a wind element. He was a close range fire and lightening element, this would be challenging but he was ready for it.

"He has some very interesting strategies, but I wonder how well he will do against Setsu," Gaara commented to Naruto leaning back in his chair. "She is a wind and water element, where as he is a fire and lightening."  
"Sasuke can handle himself," Naruto grinned watching as his friend dismissed the option of using ninjutsu, it would be all taijutsu, apparently Setsu agreed.  
"I know what he can do, I have fought against him myself several times, but that it all the more reason to wonder: what will he do this time," Gaara laced his fingers and rested his elbows on the arms of his chair.  
They found out quickly. For the first time Sasuke made the first move, coming in low at Stesu's feet with a round house. She easily blocked with her fan and spun around delivering a blow to his shoulder with her knee. Sasuke jerked back rotating his arm and shoulder. Words passed between them and Setsu smiled and lodged her fan into the ground.  
"It seems that Setsu has decided against long range attacks," Gaara leaned forward moving slightly forward in his chair.  
Setsu and Sasuke ran forward meeting in the center of the arena, each catching the other's punch and pushing back. They stood locked for a minute, then two. Setsu pulled back suddenly, Sasuke a fraction of a second late stumbled forward but caught himself and leapt back out of her reach. The second wave came.  
Setsu dropped to the ground and kicked at Sasuke's feet. Sasuke jumped up and flipped over the younger opponent and used the Phoenix Flower Jutsu. Setsu rolled away and popped back up to her feet and using the momentum from the roll started forward circling around Sasuke back toward the fan. Sasuke saw where she was going and raced to the fan, reaching it a half second after Setsu.  
The giant fan came flying at his head, Sasuke threw up his arm to block and dropped below the fan to lash out with a left hook followed quickly by a roundhouse from the opposite side. Setsu took the punch and the kick, as she recoiled from the double attack she dropped the fan. It crashed into Sasuke's arm and leg as it fell heavily onto the ground. Standing back Sasuke held his arm tightly to his side and favoring one leg looked warily at Setsu.  
Recovered, Setsu came forward to start another sequence but Sasuke stopped her with a raised hand. "I'm done, I can't continue," he called.

"I can't believe you're not going," Tsubaki stood over him, Kohaku at her side mirroring his sister's annoyed look.  
"I can't believe you are going," Kiku responded from Isamu's side, where she was spinning a kunai around her finger. "We're shinobi, we see people fighting all the time. Why would I go sit in an arena all day to watch it?"  
"It's the Chunin Exams," Kohaku scoffed, adjusting her weight so she leaned against Tsubaki's hip. "We won't ever get the chance to watch them again."  
"I don't know about you, but I really don't plan on being a genin forever," Hideaki shrugged tossing bits of grass at the kunai spinning around Kiku's finger.  
"I said watch," Kohaku's eyes narrowed at the trio sitting on the ground in the backyard at Naruto's house. "It's different when you're participating."  
"I don't really see the difference," Isamu tossed a rock at the kunai, and watched as it sailed past the blade. "When we take the exams we'll still watch part of the finals, and we've already missed the first rounds."  
"No one cares about the first round," Tsubaki waved the comment aside. "It's the final match that's worth watching."  
"Then go watch it."  
"Because we're not going."  
Isamu gave his sister and her best friend a fake smile and waved them good-bye.  
Tsubaki looked about ready to punch Isamu, she sneered at him and shook her head. The siblings stared one another down for a full minute before Tsubaki turned from Isamu and his friends. "Come on Kohaku, we don't want to miss the final match."  
"Do you think Sasuke will make it all the way to the last round?"  
"Of course, you've seen all that crazy training he's been doing," Tsubaki answered as she led the way back through the house.  
Isamu tossed another rock at Kiku's kunai watching his sister leave with Kohaku. He was surprised that she was going to watch the fight. The whole month since that incident with the hole in the ground, and her massive panic attack, Tsubaki had been closed off. She had still met with her team, and made time to see her friends. But she was just different, he was different too.  
"It's just a dumb fight," Kiku gave a forced smile to Isamu, he could tell she had forced it, but it looked more natural than it had been recently.  
"We see it all the time," Hideaki agreed, showering the kunai with grass he had pulled up. "And they were wrong, we'll get the chance to watch it again."  
"But not with Sasuke taking the exams," Kiku sighed, stopped her kunai and slipping it back into the holster on her leg.  
"You can go if you want to," he exhaled sharply, getting up off the ground. "Don't let me stop you from watching a bunch of people fighting."  
"Just come with us, cheer for Sasuke, have a good time, there's a festival afterwards," Hideaki realized his slip a fraction of a second after he said it. Kiku shook her head, as Isamu turned back on Hideaki.  
"I think I've had enough festivals to last me the rest of the year," Isamu's eyes hardened at his best friend. "So, no I'm not going to watch the finals, and don't expect to see me at the festival either." He turned and stalked away.

In the end Setsu won the Finals, she was pitted against Susumu for the final bout, he fell apart when she performed a summoning and started using her fan to enhance her wind element. Sasuke watched from a seat in the medical rooms, his tibia had been fractured when the fan hit it, and his shoulder had been dislocated. When the match was over there was a knock on the door and Naruto came in.  
"That was an awesome match Sasuke," he grinned closing the door. "I was sure you had it."  
"Well broken legs tend to prevent things like that," Sasuke joked watching as Setsu helped Susumu to his feet.  
"Bummer," Naruto grinned clapping Sasuke on the shoulder and sitting next to him. "I have good news though, council says you passed."


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35: The Brink of Disaster

"We believe that it is time to appoint a new Hokage," it would be hard to disagree with that, Tsunade was getting on in years; it would not hurt to have another be ready to take on the responsibilities of the Hokage.  
"We have chosen a suitable candidate for the job, all we lack is the approval of the Jonins."  
"Who have you selected?" Tsunade asked leaning back in her seat and crossing her legs. These two were not as old fashioned as the others had been, but they still enjoyed making things difficult for her. Sometimes it seemed like that was all the Village Elders did.  
"Your prodigy, Uzumaki Sakura."  
"She is an exceptional kunoichi. Well liked around the village and a natural leader."  
"There is no better option."  
Tsunade narrowed her eyes at the two of them. They were aiming to make this difficult, but that must be a requirement to been one of the elders—a drive to make life for the Hokage as troublesome as humanly possible. They both knew she had begun grooming Naruto to take over the office when she retired and had gained approval from the majority of the Jonins and that had been nearly two years ago.  
"What of Naruto?"  
"We feel that is an unwise choice."  
"He is a Jinchuuriki, and has been known to have a problem with rationalizing."  
"He would not make a good Hokage," they finished together in that weird, annoying, way twins talked from time to time.  
Tsunade rolled her eyes at the pair. Of course the main reason was that he was a Jinchuuriki; that was everyone's problem apparently, including the Jonin who had been unsure of Naruto as the Hokage. But she knew Naruto would make an excellent Hokage. "Just because he's a Jinchuuriki? Just because he's been known to make rash decisions? Those are not reasons."  
"He would lead us to the brink of disaster."  
"As all Jinchuuriki have in the past."  
"He's the hero of the Village," Tsunade challenged.  
"Only because he has yet to make his fatal mistake."  
"As he surely will; giving him authority over the Village will only cause this mistake to be more dangerous." She gave the two of them a calculating look.  
That was true of course, but anyone they chose as the next Hokage had the chance to make the same mistakes as Naruto, and they might not. But the same could be said for Naruto, he could be Hokage for decades and not make this "fatal mistake" the elders worry about just the same as Sakura could or Kakashi or any of the dozen other Jonin that could be chosen as the Hokage.  
It all came back to not choosing him because he was the Jinchuuriki, something she could not mark as giving him the same as someone else. She felt a twinge of sorrow for Naruto knowing that, all his life he had been isolated because of that one thing. She sighed and looked from one elder to the other.  
"I wonder how many times my Grandfather made mistakes when he founded the Hidden Leaf Village," she looked up to the photograph of the First Hokage mounted on the wall. "It seems that there would have been many and they could have been fatal to many," she shrugged. "The third made a fatal mistake, surely you both remember that," her gaze fell back to the pair, who frowned. "I seem to recall my Sensei's mistake cost many lives including his own. No one seemed to have a problem allowing him the title."  
"This is different," one protested.  
"We have learned since then. Why else would we allow Uzumaki Naruto to continue his search for Sasuke?"  
"We cannot afford another incident like the one we suffered from Orochimaru."  
"Then give Naruto the position. He studied with Jiraiya for three years, he's trained with Hatake Kakashi, he's more than qualified."  
"We will not back down."  
"It's for the good of the Village that Naruto is not Hokage."

"You're doing it wrong," Isamu dropped his kunai and spun around to face his sister, who was gloating over him for some reason he still could not figure out.  
"Then you show me how to do it," he offered.  
"So you can tell me I'm doing it wrong too? No thanks," she grinned.  
"Then shush and let me do this," he snapped turning back to the target. He had no more than returned to his fighting stance when Tsubaki coughed loudly distracting him. He dropped his arms and sighed turning back to his sister. "What?" he asked.  
"I didn't say anything," she quickly shook her head. He took a deep breath and started to turn back around, "but while I have you attention," he rolled his eyes turning back to Tsubaki and motioned for her to continue. "You should try using your other hand, it might save your life."  
"What do you plan on breaking my hand or something?" he asked turning back to the targets he had set up across the yard.  
"I might," she said quietly behind him. She sounded closer. "I mean you never know," he spun around blocking Tsubaki's punch and grabbing her other hand before she had fully started her next throw. She smirked, a gesture that was not Tsubaki.  
"Who are you?" he asked pushing her back toward the house. He did not go very far before he started to slide across the ground; whoever they were, they were strong.  
"How about this, we trade. You tell me what I want to know, I'll tell you want you want to know," she whispered leaning in close to Isamu.  
"How about you start?" he growled trying to push her back. A smile pulled at his sister's face, but the smile was not Tsubaki's but it still looked strangely familiar.  
"Wise move, but that's not what I said," she pushed him farther back. Something was familiar about this.  
"I make my own rules," he managed to stop, but just barely.  
She laughed, "Still stupid. Courageous, but stupid," that look again. He knew that look from somewhere.  
It was her!  
The realization hit him like a brick wall. That woman was here in the village, in his home, disguised as his sister after his father again. And he was still incapable of stopping her alone. No one else was around, his mother was doing something with Shizune, his father was off celebrating with Sasuke and his friends, and Tsubaki was...he did not know but it most likely was not good.  
"Where's Tsubaki?" he growled trying harder to gain some type of advantage against the woman.  
"You only get one question, and only after you answer me," she replied sweetly using Tsubaki's voice. That angered him more.  
"Where is my sister," he pushed her back, his anger was fueling his adrenaline.

"Tsubaki," Kohaku whined pulling on her arm, "you never hang out with me anymore, and now you want to blow me off to go hang out with those losers you call teammates?"  
"It's more like I have to Kohaku, I have training today with Kakashi-sensei," it felt like she had told Kohaku that a million times but it was not getting through to her. Did she ever train with her team?  
"But you don't need the training, you're really good," she whined pulling at Tsubaki's arm again trying to get her to come with her down the street.  
"I don't get to choose Kohaku. My team has training so I have to go. Like you go when you have training."  
"I hardly ever have training with my Sensei, we get training from our parents for special formations, like you do, so let's go do something before we sent out on assignments again," Kohaku pulled her several steps down the street before Tsubaki managed to stop.  
"I don't train with my parents, I have punishments with Isamu because we can't agree on anything, which is why I have to go meet with Kakashi-sensei, Daisuke and Katashi. Now let go, I'm already late," she pulled her arm out of Kohaku's grip and started the opposite direction.  
Kohaku huffed crossing her arms, then turned on her heel and walked away from Tsubaki. Tsubaki sighed in relief and started for her house, she still needed to pick up her gear for training.  
She entered the house and started up the stairs when she heard something in the back of the house. It sounded like someone was fighting. She looked up at the clock hanging in the front room, her mother was not due back for at least another hour and a half, and her father had said he would be out until after dark. So that meant it would be Isamu. She looked up at the clock and to the back of the house. If she hurried she could still make it the training ground on time, give or take a few minutes, and see what was going on in the back yard. She ran up to her room and grabbed her gear and looked out the window. Isamu was in the yard with...her.  
Tsubaki threw open the window and leapt onto the roof and ran off the edge. She felt weightless for a few seconds before she landed on whoever was engaging her brother. Isamu dove on top of them trying to get a firm hold on whoever had perform the transformation jutsu. Finally he got a good hold of her and managed to pull a kunai from Tsubaki's holster, holding it under the false Tsubaki's chin.  
"It's that woman Tsubaki," he panted, his eyes hardening dangerously as he glared at their captive. "She's come to finish the job."  
Tsubaki was both glad she decided to check out what was going on, and regretting the decision. "Great, now what?"


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36: The Next Hokage

Naruto walked down the street staggering…slightly. He had drunk a bit more than he should have, but they were celebrating and it was only a few extra bottles of sake, and it was not like he had an assignment in the morning, well not one that he knew of. He chuckled to himself and stumbled forward catching himself on a bench. "Maybe I shouldn't, have had that, last bottle," he hiccupped grinning and laughing started on his way again. He stumbled up the steps to the house, fumbled with the door till it opened and he headed back for the kitchen to get something to help the headache he had developed at some point on his way home.  
The lights were all turned off, he shrugged it aside; the kids would be out with their friends or something, he thought as he entered the kitchen. He walked past the backdoor and saw people in the yard. He passed by not thinking about it going to the sink for a glass of water. What had he come in here for? Ah, he felt the wind blow through the kitchen, the door was open.  
His mind cleared as he walked toward the door, they knew better than to leave the door open. He looked around the door jamb to see what was happening in the yard. The kids were there along with someone disguised as Tsubaki. He furrowed his brow looking out in the yard. Was this serious or were they training in some strange way? Why would they be training like that? What would that accomplish?  
"What's going on out here?"

A mischievous foreign grin spread across her own face, a strange sensation filled her looking over her brother's shoulder at her own face. What was that look about? She turned around just as her father's voice rang out in the yard.  
"Dad help," the woman cried in her own voice, stopping her attempts to escape from Isamu. Tsubaki released the woman and her brother and ran back to the porch and her approaching father.  
"No dad, it's that woman," she shouted leaping onto the walk to block his way. Her father took a step back looking between her and the pair in the yard. He took another step back and brought his hands up defensively.  
"Who is my summon?" he asked looking straight into her eyes. His eyes were glazed over, he could not fight, but at least he had gotten out a question.  
"Dad help," the woman cried again still being held by Ismau. Tsubaki looked back to her brother and the woman then to her father.  
"Gamakichi," she answered, "and just about any other toad you want."  
His hands lowered slightly looking at her. "Don't believe her, they got the information out of me," Tsubaki whipped around to face the woman.  
If Naruto believed that he would assume that both of his children where using a transformation to trick him. There had to be some way to prove what was going on, but that woman knew all their habits, she had lived in the house with them for months. What was she going to do?  
There was a loud crash inside the house. Naruto half turned to look in the door, back on full alert. Someone cursed loudly inside the kitchen as something else crashed. Someone was in the house. Tsubaki's mind started racing trying to determine who was in the house. It could not be her mother, she would have been able to navigate the dark rooms.  
"Hey Naruto," Sasuke's voice carried from inside the house, Tsubaki tensed looking back to the woman. The grin had returned to her face. Both targets where together and apparently at less than what anyone would consider their worst. "I can't seem to get my door open, can I stay," Sasuke walked out of the house and stopped looking at the group. His eyes flashed from Naruto and Tsubaki to Isamu and the woman and back again.  
"Sasuke, you have to go. It's that woman she's back," Tsubaki rushed at Sasuke meaning to push him back into the house. Her father's arms wrapped around her stopping her attempts to save Sasuke, and pinning her arms to her sides.  
Sasuke looked between Tsubaki and the woman and shook his head trying to clear it. It obviously worked; he looked at Tsubaki and then the woman. "What happened the day I was attacked?" he shouted. A blank look crossed the woman's features, a look that Tsubaki did not miss.  
Sasuke looked expectantly over at her, and her mind went blank. What happened? What had happened that day? She had passed Kakashi-sensei's test that morning, Isamu had gotten his cast off, she had finally found the Maneki Neko she wanted for Sasuke, that had been the day Kohaku cut her hair, she lied to Sasuke about her mother being sick and that was just what she remembered.  
"I lied about mom being sick, and the Maneki Neko," she answered quickly, "and it was the day Isamu's cast came off."  
Naruto released her and dove over the side of the railing to help Isamu. The woman had started fighting and was about to escape again.

"Capturing me won't stop anything, there are more and they won't stop until both of you are dead," the woman spat. They had released the transformation revealing the woman's true form, a sight which nearly paralyzed Tsubaki and sent a wave of anger through Isamu. Naruto had tied her hands in front of her, the rope went from wrist to elbow and he walked behind her with a firm grip of her shoulder. Sasuke walked next to her watching closely in case she tried something.  
They were heading for the Hokage's office, Tsunade would be happy to see this.  
They entered the building and walked up to the office, bursting through the doors to find Tsunade sitting at her desk with piles of paper work around her.  
"Naruto I hope this is something really important," she did not look up from what she was doing.  
"It is Lady Hokage," Tsunade looked up slowly. She grinned seeing who Naruto and Sasuke had brought her.  
"Well this does seem important. Tell me, who do you have here?"  
"It's the woman who infiltrated the village and attacked Sasuke, captured Tsubaki and targeted Isamu and myself while holding one of our kunoichi hostage."  
"She's also a member of a group rising in power causing considerable problems for the Five Great Shinobi Nations, and increasing the numbers for human trafficking throughout the world." Everyone in the room turned to Tsubaki, but she continued, "they train young woman as assassins for internal affairs, and have overpowered whole countries without anyone noticing the change in power." The woman scowled and struggled against her bonds trying to get to Tsubaki. If the girl kept talking it would be the end of her.  
"That's quite a lot of information," Tsunade leaned back in her chair looking at the young kunoichi. "Are you sure it's true?"  
Tsubaki nodded looking at the scowling face of the woman; had she held her face passive Tsubaki would not have been so sure; but the reaction confirmed her beliefs. She had not been dreaming when she overheard those things weeks ago. "Yes Lady Hokage."

"It seems we chose well in accepting the Uchiha back into our ranks."  
"He has proven to be very useful."  
"It would also seem that you were correct in allowing the Uzumaki children to become genin."  
"They are quite proficient in their assigned tasks and others they take upon themselves."  
Tsunade just shrugged in response, of course she had been right about Isamu and Tsubaki, and she knew that allowing Sasuke back into the village was a good move; she was the Hokage after all. "Is that all," she asked.  
"We have decided that given the agreement of the jonin,"  
"We will allow Uzumaki Naruto to be Hokage." Tsunade smiled to herself.  
"We will have a trial period in which to fully examine his abilities,"  
"In one year's time we will know if he is fit to be the Hokage." Tsuande's smile formed a visible scowl on her face.  
A year? What more would she have to do to prove that Naruto was fit to be the Hokage? She could just do as she pleased, she'd done it before. But that was not the best choice to get Naruto into the good graces.  
"Why?" she nearly spat.  
"He is still reckless."  
"And we heard about his celebration the night that woman was captured."  
"So, he was just having some fun with his friends," she had been worse off most every night than Naruto had been the other day.  
"It is not proper behavior for the Leader of this Village," The woman haughtily turned her nose up.  
"It's not what a role model should do, which is what Naruto will be once he is the Hokage." The man narrowed his eyes at Tsunade.  
"He's already a role model, he has been for over fifteen years," Tsunade narrowed her eyes at the pair, she was in for a long fight but she was more than ready for it. She would see Naruto as the Hokage no matter what it took.  
"We believe it is best that we hold a trail period."  
"For the good of the Village."  
"Naruto is the best option we have, appoint him to the title, the jonin will agree. If it's his character you're concerned about, don't be. Naruto will do what is best for the Village and he wants the title."  
"We still have doubts."  
"There is much still to discuss over his reliability and ability to rationalize."  
"None of that is valid! Naruto has done nothing but search for Sasuke since they were teenagers. He is focused and one of the best Shinobi since his father the Fourth Hokage. Give him the title and be done with it."  
"Or what?"  
"What would you do if we refused?"  
Tsunade growled at the pair, her unspoken threat delivered unmistakably. They glanced at one another for a moment then sighed.  
"If you're wrong,"  
"The fate of this Village will be on your conscious."  
"It has been for twenty years."


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37: The Anniversary

It had been a long year, just another one tagged onto a long list in which things changed drastically and they still came out on top. After twenty years they had finally ended what had started the day Orochimaru showed up at the Chunin Exams.They had lost a lot of people during that time, good people and found some who were less than admirable. But none of that mattered now.  
It had been twenty years since Sasuke walked out of the village, and this time they were celebrating; for more than one reason. Sasuke sat at the table next to Rōtasu smiling up at Naruto. He was standing before the Hokage Faces beside Tsunade and the Village Elders. The whole village had assembled to see the new Hokage take office.  
Sakura was beside Lady Tsunade smiling at her husband, Isamu and Tsubaki were standing in the crowd with their teams, Sasuke could see both of them from where he was sitting. As soon as this was over they would all join at the table and celebrate. Celebrate Naruto becoming the Hokage, celebrate Sasuke's return to the Village and his promotion to Chunin; Sakura's promotion to the head of the Medical Unit, celebrate for Tsubaki's team, who finally completed a mission without Kakashi threatening them the whole time about working together, Isamu and his teammates were celebrating because they were learning chakra types and chakra natures and Tsunade was celebrating her retirement.  
It was a good day that stretched into the night with all their friends present. They laughed as they reminisced and made plans about the future. The children talked and showed what they had learned and ended up playing tag before it was dark. Sasuke sat at the table and smiled watching them.  
It had taken twenty years for him to find make his way back home, and he was not going anywhere.  
The moon would be full within a week, its pale light shone brightly on the small group heading home. Just ahead of him Isamu and Tsubaki walked in the center of a group made up of their teams, in the lead were Naruto and Sakura, his arm wrapped around her shoulders as they led the way home.  
"I'm proud of you," Sakura smiled resting her head on his shoulder.  
"You knew I would be the Hokage, Granny probably told you years ago."  
"Not about that," she laughed, "You finally did it, you brought Sasuke home."  
"He's been here for a year Sakura," Naruto looked up at the moon, glad that it was not full.  
"In that whole year weren't you worried he would leave again?" she asked looking up to moon with him.  
"No, he wanted to come back; I could tell when I found him in that village last year."  
"How?"  
"Do you really need to ask me questions like that?" he asked hugging her tightly, she laughed.  
"I'm telling you it's not possible to have two charka natures without training to develop one," Katashi huffed as Daisuke for what felt like the millionth time.  
"Then what about the first Hokage, and his wood thing," Daisuke pointed out hoping he had found a flaw in Katashi's fact.  
"That was using the earth element and the water element," Hideaki commented from behind the pair.  
"But he used wood, which meant he had two chakra types."  
"Because he developed one," Katashi nearly shouted.  
"What does it matter? I mean you guys are still a long ways off from dealing chakra types, aren't you?" Kiku asked from her position beside Isamu. Katashi and Daisuke turned back to look at Kiku.  
She had a point, they were still learning chakra control, they were far behind Tsubaki's brother's team skill wise. It would be months before they started working on chakra types and chakra nature and that was only if they managed to continue working together like they had been recently.  
"It matters because it gives them something to fight about," Tsubaki smiled. Both boys opened their mouths to deny her accusation, but were stopped by the skeptical look she cast them. They snapped their mouth shut and turned back to the front.  
"I bet the second chakra type came so easy to him it was like he had both form the beginning," Daisuke restarted grinning.  
"You can't have two without developing one!"  
"That's what he said," Hideaki laughed watching Katashi's face fall.  
"He did say that the second chakra type was developed," Isamu agreed.  
Katashi screamed giving up, "See, just something to fight about," Tsubaki smiled.  
"Well, what are we going to do now?" Kiku asked looking between her teammates. "We're working on chakra types and nature, what comes next?"  
"Whatever Haru-Sensei wants for us, we'll probably enter the chunin exams next time around," Hideaki commented falling back to walk beside Isamu and Kiku.  
"And we could always work with our parents to learn some techniques between missions," Isamu added shrugging.  
"Well then I want to learn from your parents Isamu, they're way cooler than mine," Kiku looked up to where Naruto and Sakura were walking, "I mean, your dad is the Hokage."  
"Well whatever happens I hope we stay as close as Dad did with Sasuke and all the shinobi he graduated with."  
The whole group looked over at Tsubaki, who had her hands deep inside her pull over and was looking up at the sky.  
"Are you going senile?" Isamu asked mocking the skeptical look Tsubaki had used on Katashi and Daisuke.  
"Maybe," she shrugged looking around at the others. "I mean look at what happened to us this year."  
"So, we're shinobi for one of the five great shinobi villages, we're expected to risk our lives."  
"Coming from one who didn't have some crazy thing happen," Isamu grinned at Katashi.  
"Hey, we had stuff. Not as epic as you and Tsubaki, but it was still stuff," Daisuke defended earning a rare smile of approval from Katashi.  
"Don't worry about it, we've done a lot. But so have our parents."  
"I think that's what keeps them close. It forms bonds between them, and that's something we'll always have common."  
"That didn't make any sense Daisuke," Katashi said rolling his eyes.  
"It didn't?" he asked looking around to the others. "It made sense to me," he shrugged it off.  
"Whatever, I get what he's saying, and that's good enough for me," Kiku and Tsubaki shared a look behind Isamu.  
They both knew even if they faced a dozen years like this one what Daisuke said was true. As long as they faced it together it would bring them closer together because it would form a bond like their parents had formed in the search for Sasuke, during the war and the countless other things they did growing up as shinobi.

Sasuke said goodbye to Rōtasu at her door and headed for his apartment. He was sure that soon he would be dispatched into the ranks of chunin for missions. He could possibly get some good missions since his best friend was the Hokage. But he could not help but think about all that had changed in the past year.  
It was hard to believe that a year ago he was alone in the Mountain Country wondering if he would be able to return to the Village and resume a life. And now he was a chunin, with a beautiful girlfriend and a life that was as good as his life had been before Itachi killed the entire Uchiha Clan. He smiled walking through the village taking short cuts to reach his apartment quickly; a year ago the whole village had been a foreign place to him and the people seemed distant.  
"Hello Sasuke," a woman walking the opposite way smiled and waved. Sasuke smiled back and nodded. Now he was one of them, he was once again a member of the Hidden Leaf Village.  
He smiled entering his apartment and turning on the lights, it was small and a little over crowded, but it was home; his home. The Village was home; he could forget the past and move on because he knew someone would always be around to back him up. He changed out of his clothes and sat down on the couch to read.  
He had just settled down when there was a knock at the door. He got up and walked over to the door. A young kunoichi was waiting with a pack and a message; a hard, determined look in her hazel eyes.  
"Sorry Sasuke, but it's urgent," she held out the scroll and shrugged with a half smile.  
"I'll be ready in a few minutes," his eyes scanned the scroll quickly.  
"We're meeting at the gate," she ran off to go inform the rest of the team.  
Sasuke closed the door and started back to his room.  
It was good to be home.


End file.
